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Obi Egbuna Jr Simunye
When the US Secretary of Treasury Mr Jack Lew announced that one of African people’s most beloved and revered ancestors Queen Mother Harriet Tubman eventually replaced the very first Secretary of Treasury and founder of the Federalist Party Alexander Hamilton on the US 20 dollar bill, those so-called African-Americans who commonly refer to her as Moses due to her leadership on the Underground Railroad during chattel slavery raised in the Christian Church, automatically thought of Psalm 51.2 in the Holy Bible: “Wash me completely from my evil, and purge me from my sins Get up and be baptised and wash your sins away calling on his name”.

Because Secretary Lew is a staunch Zionist who many political pundits feel serves as a bridge between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, using a sacred religion to divert attention away from shameful atrocities, is not only second nature but a way of life.

Before assuming leadership of the US Treasury Department Secretary, Lew was Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and co-leader of the US State Department’s Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review and also the 26th White House Chief of Staff.

While President Mugabe and ZANU-PF are genuinely consumed with the never ending challenge of defending Zimbabwe’s sovereignty, the entire nation is counting on everyday so-called African-Americans put on their thinking caps and recognise the blatant hypocrisy of the US Treasury, putting Queen Mother Tubman’s beautiful face on their blood money, while at the same time strategically sanctioning the two main pillars of Zimbabwe’s industrial sector, despite the genocidal implications of this manoeuvre.

When Zimbabwe’s born free generation study US policy on their beloved nation, it will be interesting to hear their opinions on why President Mugabe’s actions appear to evoke the utter hatred of Zionists in the Democratic Party like not only Secretary Lew, but the late Congressman Tom Lantos, who attacked Zimbabwe quite often in the early part of the new millennium and US Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders who did not hesitate to vote in favour of US-EU sanctions on Zimbabwe while he was a member of the US Congressional House of Representatives.

For so-called African-Americans to truly grasp the opportunism of Secretary Lew concerning both the decision to place Queen Mother Tubman on the 20 dollar bill and targeting Zimbabwe’s industrial sector for collapse and destruction, perhaps some words of wisdom from the Pan African giant and freedom fighter Dr WEB DuBois can provide much needed insight when he eloquently stated, “Most men today cannot conceive of a freedom that does not involve somebody’s slavery”.

The revolutionary sentiments of Dr. DuBois should echo in our hearts and minds, mainly because of the historical ramifications of this gesture. We must remember that arguably chattel slavery’s most humiliating dimension was over two centuries of forced free labour that occurred, not only on plantations inside US borders, but throughout the western hemisphere. It is for this reason that so-called African-Americans would consider placing Queen Mother Tubman on US blood money the ultimate slap in the face.

According to an article written by US based journalist Kim Bussing published on a website entitled: “Do Go News” the original intent of Secretary Lew was not to replace Mr Hamilton on the 20 dollar bill with a woman, the denomination was due to counter fitting threats and in the final analysis Mr Lew thought it would be a feel good gesture to ask US citizens for input.

The recent overhaul of US imperialist currency includes a new 10 dollar bill that will showcase images of Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, Susan B. Anthony and believe it or not Queen Mother Sojourner Truth.

It should not surprise US citizens on the whole when so-called African-Americans express their displeasure concerning a historical narrative that aggressively suggests that Queen Mother Truth should be recognised first and foremost as a suffrage movement advocate instead of a crusader to abolish chattel slavery, when it is a known fact that the issues of so-called African-American women were at best an afterthought to this distinguished group of white liberal women, who were mainly seeking a place at the table with the white supremacists and colonial invaders and plunders of that historical era.

The new US 5 dollar bill will showcase the iconic so-called African-American singer Marian Anderson’s 1939 performance on the Lincoln memorial after being banned from performing at Constitution Hall along with Dr King’s I Have a Dream speech.

It would be detrimental to Africans collectively at home and abroad if our children are not taught that US-EU Imperialism clearly recognises that our movement to reclaim our history and culture is not only a multi-billion dollar industry, but they refuse to be on the outside looking in.

Those so-called African-Americans who are aware of the Black Heritage Commemorative Society whose public relations portfolio informs us that in the past 70 years over 100 daughters and sons of Africa have appeared on US postage stamps, at the moment these stamps are available for 23 US dollars and 85 cents and all shipments include a free Martin Luther King Jr original mint condition stamp and collector’s biography card along with stamps and bios of Queen Mother Tubman Jackie Robinson and Paul Lawrence Dunbar.

The selling ploy used by the online commercial is to buy them all before they are gone forever, during the holiday season stamps commemorating the so-called African American holiday Kwanzaa are available at US post offices.

Speaking of washing your slate clean we saw how the Walt Disney Company whose founder was a notorious racist along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and National Association of Realtors contributed 108 million US dollars towards the memorial in honour of Dr. King.

If one is to observe the gleam in the eyes of African Americans who make it their duty to visit this landmark, or make it their duty to patronize ant MLK birthday celebration, we cannot forget that Library of Congress purchased Dr. King’s papers for 20 million US dollars from his family. This exposes that US imperialism will spend top dollar to make Dr King’s assassination a distant memory.

Earlier this year several civil rights foot soldiers received Congressional gold medals for their roles in the Bloody Sunday and Turn Around Tuesday marches, which when you consider efforts to repeal the voting rights act nothing, but textbook manipulation at its finest.

Later on this year the Smithsonian is to open an African American History Museum that in its mission statement mentions that “the museum use African American Culture as a means to help all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by international considerations and how the struggle of African Americans has impacted struggles around the world”

Another platform utilised by the US imperialist propaganda apparatus has been the Presidential medal freedom where countless so-called African- American political activists, writers, educators are chosen to be recipients of what is considered the country’s highest civilian honour. Some of President Mugabe and ZANU-PF’s main detractors who have received this award include former US President Jimmy Carter and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Madiba Nelson Mandela to name a few.

A few of Zimbabwe’s old friends have also been presented this coveted prize; Ambassador Andrew Young and Dr Dorothy Height.

When Zimbabweans and Africans celebrate Queen Mother Tubman, it will be because the name Moses and her nursing background is identical to the life of Mozambique first African President Samora Machel, whose middle name was Moises and was a nurse before he led the nation’s revolution against Portugese Colonialism.

To properly celebrate Queen Mother Tubman is to celebrate Comrade Machel and Zimbabwe.

Obi Egbuna Jr is the US Correspondent to the Herald and External Relations Officer to ZICUFA(Zimbabwe Cuba Friendship Association. His email is [email protected]