The Committee to Eliminate Media Offensive to African People will celebrate its 31st anniversary Saturday.
The CEMOTAP event, “It’s Your Table,” is calling all Africans to the annual luncheon. Celebrating, fun and dancing will bring the guests a good time. Admission to the event will be free.
“Everybody has a good time, and the coolest thing is you can donate according to how good of time you have,” said activist Dr. James McIntosh, co-chair of CEMOTAP. “We try to make everyone have a wonderful time. This is the way we do our fundraiser.”
The event will start at 2 p.m. at the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center in Jamaica, Queens.
CEMOTAP is an organization that fights against media racism and negative perceptions of African people.
“Our basic goal is to try to bring media justice to our people, because the media, if you were to represent it in terms of our people, it’s really our minds,” said McIntosh. “It’s the middle between one mind and to another, if we don’t get control over our own informational world, then we are off doing all types of crazy and destructive things.”
Dr. Umar Johnson, a well-known clinical psychologist, author and educator, will be the keynote speaker. Several other influential people will make remarks. Those will include Sis. Delali Haligah, minster of Arts and Culture; Bro. Larry Hamm, chairman, People’s Organization for Progress; Sis. Viola Plummer, December 12th Movement; Bro. Raymond Dugue, grand chancellor; Sis. Pam Africa, minister of Confrontation; and Bro. Razakhan Wali, manager of Nation TIME Judicial Research Inc.
“It’s Your Table” will also have a performance by students from the Kerry Edge School of the Arts.
“We have a special performance by a youth group of dancers who commemorate all of our fallen people, who have been victims of police violence,” said McIntosh.
In the 30-year fight to end media bias against African people CEMOTAP has at times created its own media and programs.
“Our motivation is toward the liberation and advancement our people,” said McIntosh. “It’s an organization that lots of people contribute and make it happen. Several of our people have been arrested doing some of our actions. Rather than just protest European media we have over the years produced a newspaper, TV programs, radio programs at different times. Of course, we’ve written sometimes under our own names with media outlets you’re familiar with.”
CEMOTAP events are a way for people to get involved in the organization.
“If you come to any of the events, we always have applications and you’ll always have access to the executive committee members who are always present there,” said McIntosh.
For more information about involvement in CEMOTAP, call 718-322-8454.