Impact On My Life
The Grandassa models was the beginning of my socio-political activism. The Grandassa models stood for an African Standard of beauty. We supported the struggle for freedom and self-determination of many African Nations, at a time when many of our people were focused on assimilating into the larger EuroCentric American culture. My husband and I decided that all of our children would have African names. We both changed our names, mine becoming Nomsa and his Elombe. We embraced our brothers and sisters from the continent in the early sixties. We learned intimate details of the struggle against Aparthied from Sikholo Shange and Miriam Makeba. The Grandassa models being a central part of AJASS, and the relationship with the African Nationalist Pioneer Movement (Lead by Carlos Cooks) opened us up to understanding the philosophy and opinions of Marcus Garvey. We were clear about our agenda being based on Pan-Africanism. I learned how to stand-up, fight and WIN whenever challenged by the power structure. Hence, I was prepared to take on the school system and for my role in the Central Park Five.

My Professional Life
When I joined the Grandassa models I was working as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Upon marrying Elombe our family grew rapidly with four boys between the years of 1965 and 1970, with two more in 1977 and 1984. In 1974 I earned my BA in Anthropology with a minor in Biochemistry. This lead me to be conscientious of the carcinogens in our food and water, which encouraged me to change how I fed my family. In 1977, while walking through my Sons grade school, P.S.208 in Harlem, I noticed through a missing tile in the raised ceiling what I thought might be asbestos. I had it tested and as I guessed it was Asbestos. This lead to national recognition and started the Asbestos removal in schools. I later ran and won a seat on the school board of district three. During this time I decided to home school my two youngest Sons. At the time this course of action was rare, but I embarked on it with both outcomes being successful. My advocacy for educating and defending our children was well known at this time, so when the teenage boys in my community were accused of raping and brutally beating a white female jogger in Central Park in 1988; I was prepared to defend them. Their parents immediately reached out to me and Elombe. This case is known as the Central Park Five. Both I and my late husband Elombe were depicted in the mini-series ‘When They See Us’. My professional life has been centered around an Afrocentric approach to educating and defending our children.

My Family
When I married Elombe I was the legal guardian of my eldest niece, Yolette Katazele Green. He joined me in becoming her legal guardian. Not only he, but his parents and siblings accepted her as their own. She’s more than a cousin, but a Big sister to my Son’s; particularly the ones in their fifties. For many years the only females were here and my sister-in-law Sekola’s daughter were the only females from the next generation. I’m very proud of her activism within the NYC DC 37 Union. She learned from watching me. She’s my fiercest defender. I’m the proud mother of six fine African Men. Their ages range between 57 and 37.

My first Son Mgavi Elombe is a Bioinformatician and Computational Biologist (Genetic Engineer/Computer Scientist with expertise in Artificial Intelligence). His work in gene sequencing and analysis is on the cutting edge of treating cancer without surgery using immunotherapy. My love of science is actualized through his professional involvement in Biotechnology. I helped him write his first resume which landed him an internship at a Biotech company in 1983. He’s been at the Tandon School of Engineering at NYU for 13 years. Prior to that he worked at the National Institute of Health, IBM Center for Computational Biology to name a few. He is an affirmation of my commitment to the principals of the Grandassa models, which is GARVEYISM!

My second son Rameses Desallines is named after the Egyptian Pharoah and the leader of the Haitan revolution. He embodies those legacies. He’s a talented computer hardware professional. He exhibited a talent for dealing with hardware as a child. He would take apart the toys and reassemble them. That annoyed his siblings, but they all appreciate it now. He is the go to guy for all technology hardware issues. He was right there to soak up my interest in SyFy. We encouraged that and he excelled! Of my Son’s he exhibits his Baba’s whit!

My third son, Cinque Menelik, is named after Joseph Cinque and King Menelik. He’s currently the President of the Elombe Brath Foundation. His graduate degree is in manufacturing engineering with an emphasis in Robotics. He has worked diligently to make sure that the work of AJASS is acknowledged as being at the forefront of the black arts movement and how it was totally transformative of black culture at a time when our collective self-esteem was based synonymous with Tarzan Movies.

Son number four is Segun Ichawe Gun Babatunde. At this point we moved into the African naming traditions. His name means the ‘Fourth Son Born a Month After the Death of the Grandfather. My father-in-law died in January of 1970 and he was born in February of 1970. He embodies his Baba’s comedic analysis and artistic abilities. His chosen career of art and comedic is based in Garveyism and the teachings of Mr.Cooks.

Akwesi Anum Sekou Ohene is my fifth son. He was named with the help of our long time friend Kwame, that performed in the Naturally Shows. Son number five’s name is from the Ghanian Akan tradition and means the ‘Fifth Son born on a Sunday’. I home schooled him and then he placed into Bronx Science. He went on to get an MS in Applied Mathematics at Clarke Atlanta University. A program designed by Dr.Shabazz who received his undergrad degree from the first HBCU, Lincoln University in PA, where he receive BS in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics before getting his PhD at MIT. My eldest got his BS in Chemistry at Lincoln University. I choose this over Carnegie-Mellon and several Ivy League school based on Pan-African principals and it worked out very well for him. NY City Board of Education had a campaign that showcased their talent. One of those posters in the subway system had Sekou’s picture on it. The Sekou part of his name is from the late Sekou Toure of Guinea.

My last child is Mandela Askia Akwasi Kuma. The first part of his name is after Nelson Mandela. Askia is from his god mother Goldie Siefert whose husband Prof. Chas C. Siefert was the founder of the Ethiopian School of History. He predates Dr.Ben and Clarke! The remainder of his name means the second son to be born on a Sunday. His naming ceremony was conducted by Kwame, as he did the previous son, in the Ghanain Akan tradition. This includes my nieces, Gretchen and Germain, living with me for a few years. My nephew Robert Poteat and several of my Son’s friends lived that with us at times. One thing was clear. That they had to get an education. I offered theme the same opportunities as I did my own children. They knew that they were in a African Household.