Collection Details:

Collection Name and Number: Republic of New Africa Collection (T/027).
Creator/Collector: Republic of New Africa founders and members; and others.
Date(s): 1965-1993.
Size: 1.51 cubic feet.
Language(s): English.
Processed by: Tougaloo College staff; MDAH staff, 2005.
Provenance: Loan of Tougaloo College of Madison County, MS, in 2004.
Repository: Archives & Records Services Division, Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

 

Rights and Access:

Access restrictions: Collection is open for research. Box 3 contains fragile originals and duplicates and is restricted; reference photocopies must be used instead.

Publication rights: Copyright assigned to Tougaloo College. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to MDAH Reference Services, Attention: Tougaloo College Civil Rights Collection. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Tougaloo College as the owner of the physical items and as the owner of the copyright in items created by the donor. Although the copyright was transferred by the donor, the respective creator may still hold copyright in some items in the collection. For further information, contact Reference Services.

Copyright notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Preferred citation: Republic of New Africa Collection (T/027), Tougaloo College Civil Rights Collection, Mississippi Department of Archives & History.

 

History:

The Republic of New Africa

Madison Henry and his brother, Richard Henry, founded the Malcolm X Society in 1967. The organization, based in Detroit, Michigan, had as its primary goal the establishment of an autonomous black nation within the United States. By 1968, the Henry brothers had changed their names. Madison Henry became Gaida Obadele, and Richard Henry became Imari Abubakari Obadele. The two issued a call for black separatists to help them form an independent nation for black people within the contiguous borders of the United States.

The Obadeles, along with many supporters, convened a meeting in Detroit where a declaration of independence was adopted and the Republic of New Africa (RNA) was established in 1968. In its manifesto, the RNA called on the United States government to grant $400 billion in reparations for slavery and racial oppression and to cede five states to the RNA. The five states were Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. These states were chosen because they were considered to be “homeland” states for black people and had the highest percentage of blacks living in them at that time. The leadership of the RNA drew up plans for armed resistance in the South and sabotage in the North should their requests be denied.

This stance brought quick reaction on the part of local authorities throughout the country. In 1969, the police of Detroit, Michigan, staged a raid at the New Bethel Baptist Church. The incident occurred on the first anniversary of the founding of the RNA. One police officer was killed, and four members of the RNA were wounded. Three RNA members were tried on murder charges but were later acquitted.

Following the events in Detroit, the leadership of the RNA turned its attention to the South in general and the state of Mississippi in particular. In 1971, under the leadership of its provisional president, Imari Obadele, the association attempted to purchase twenty acres of land near Bolton, Hinds County, Mississippi. The land, owned by Lofton Mason, a black farmer, was to be used as the capital of the RNA and to be named El Malik in honor of Malcolm X. The purchase did not materialize because the leaders of the organization failed to pay Mason the necessary funds to acquire the property. After much controversy, Mason withdrew his land offer, and the RNA was left without a permanent site in Mississippi.

On August 18, 1971, local police and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted a raid on the RNA headquarters in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi. During the raid, a white police officer, Lieutenant William Skinner, was killed. Eleven RNA members, including the provisional president, Imari Obadele, were arrested and convicted on various charges that included murder and sedition. Ten of the eleven served prison sentences ranging from two to ten years. Obadele, who had not been at the headquarters during the conflict, was released from state prison in 1973, but he and six others were convicted on federal conspiracy charges and sentenced to serve seven-year sentences in federal prisons.

While serving his prison sentence, Obadele was able to use the Freedom of Information Act to document that the RNA had been targeted as a subversive organization by COINTELPRO, the anti-radical program of the FBI. Obadele was released from prison in 1980 and went on to pursue an academic career. He received a doctorate in political science from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1985. He published a number of books on the black separatist movement and taught at several colleges throughout the United States.

The Republic of New Africa never attained the goals of its founders. After most of its leaders had been imprisoned, the organization lost its momentum. It had been a part of the black power movement that was present in the country during the 1970s. As that movement lost its influence, the ideas of the RNA lost popularity. The membership declined, its headquarters moved to many different locations throughout the country, and its main focus shifted from acquiring land for a black nation to securing reparations for black Americans.

 

Scope and Content Note:

This collection consists of articles, brochures, correspondence, flyers, pamphlets, and other materials related to the history and philosophy of the Republic of New Africa. It also contains materials related to philosophies and activities of other black power organizations in the United States. The collection spans the years 1965-1993, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the 1960s and 1970s. It is divided into four series. Series one documents the history and background of the RNA. Series two reflects on the general activities of the RNA and contains related printed materials. Included are materials of other organizations and people in sympathy with the overall philosophy of the RNA. Series three contains materials on the history of the Mississippi conflict. Series four contains correspondence associated with events from the Mississippi conflict, as well as other activities.

 

Series Identification:

Series 1: History and Background. 1971-1975; n.d. 1 folder.
This series contains materials that relate to the history and background of the RNA. The materials include pamphlets, a magazine article, and official documents of the RNA and others that relate to its history and involvement in national affairs. The official documents are its declaration of independence, the New African Creed, and a statement of the financial needs of the new nation. Included in this series is a program from a black leadership conference held at Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, Madison County, Mississippi, in 1975. The program was autographed by Imari Obadele, the provisional president, who had been released from prison on a $25,000 bond.

Box 1
Box 3 (restricted)

 

Series 2: General Activities. 1965-1976; 1993; n.d. 5 folders.
This series contains materials from magazines, newspapers, and other printed media that focus on the general activities of the RNA as it attempted to organize throughout the nation. The primary focus of the materials is on the elections of officials for the new nation, including a president, vice-president, and members of a legislature. Included in this series is a copy of the New Afrikan Brief, a newsletter that describes the role of the local councils and explains the philosophy and creed of the RNA. Included as well are copies of articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers that examine the activities of persons and organizations sympathetic to the philosophy of the RNA. Many of these articles examine the theories of black power and the struggles of black activist Angela Davis. Others relate to the problems of prisons, human-rights abuses in Mississippi and other parts of the South, and the attempts of organizations like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to organize against such problems.

Box 1
Box 2
Box 3 (restricted)

 

Series 3: The Mississippi Conflict. 1971-1974; n.d. 3 folders.
This series contains materials that relate to the conflict between Jackson police, FBI agents, and RNA members in August 1971. The materials contain articles, broadsides, flyers, and newspaper clippings that describe the attack on the RNA headquarters and the trials that resulted from this conflict. The broadsides depict the eleven RNA members in police custody and demand their release.

Box 1
Box 2
Box 3 (restricted)

 

Series 4: Correspondence. 1971-1976. 1 folder.
This series primarily contains copies of letters of Imari Obadele that were written from prison, as well as other letters relating to activities of the RNA in Mississippi. Included are a copy of a letter to Lofton Mason and a copy of a letter (with attachments) from Brown University requesting the settlement of an overpayment of funds to Chokwe Lumumba.

Box 1
Box 3 (restricted)