Statement by Ms. Hope Sullivan Masters on the Hosting of the
9^th Leon H. Sullivan Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea

Washington D.C., August 6, 2012 - For several months, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation has been under news, twitter, and blog attacks by journalists and vocal “human rights organizations” who have used smear tactics and yellow journalism to undermine the upcoming Ninth Leon H. Sullivan Summit which will be held in the West Central African Country of Equatorial Guinea.  Under the moral misnomer of a selfless mission focused on advancing  “human rights” in the developing world, these organizations use the politics of destruction and cheap buzz-words to bring attention to themselves without fact checking or simple truth verification of their outrageous claims of ongoing abuse and corruption.   These critics continuously harp about the same outdated news accounts, the same salacious and blasphemous statements about corruption and poor governance, and the same tawdry details of widely publicized legal matters concerning members of the family of the President of Equatorial Guinea, in particular, his young son Teodorin.

Personally, I had taken the position that I would remain silent amidst their misguided rants, as it is clear that they have no understanding of the purpose of the Leon H. Sullivan Summits.   I learned many years ago that the learning curve is extraordinarily steep when you set out to re-educate misinformed individuals who are clearly hell-bent on throwing rocks at others.   However, over the past few days, the architects of this campaign to destroy the 2012 Summit, chose to make their attacks personal, when they made the vile assertion that The Sullivan Summit, and I by extension, are destroying the reputation of my late father, a man who I not only loved as a devoted daughter, but a man who I believe possessed one of the most brilliant and progressive minds of the twentieth century.

Why Is Equatorial Guinea the host of the Summit?

This question has been asked and answered ad nauseum, but I will do so once again in the hopes that some might learn a bit more about the Leon H. Sullivan Summit, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, the emerging face of the African Diaspora and the all important coalition of African leadership which guides the Leon H. Sullivan Summit and the legacy of my late father.

The Leon H. Sullivan Summit is hosted in African countries, which are members of the African Union (AU).   The AU serves as a vehicle whereby Africa can solve their own social and economic problems as well as other political issues and the many issues they face as a result of globalization.   The African Union is Africa’s forum; it is a platform for the leaders of Africa, a unifying and strengthening coalition for the onward development and unification of Africa.

In January 2011, the President of Equatorial Guinea, OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO was elected to the Presidency of the African Union.  As such, it seems ironic at best that the individuals who harbor such anger and hatred of President Obiang are discounting the fact that he was chosen to lead this august body of nations by the other leaders of Africa.

For centuries, Africa has been exploited, denigrated, and treated as the habitat of people of inferior intellect.  Through the process of independence, Africa and Africans have been able to reposition themselves and their nations as self-governing nations.  Moreover, when the nations of Africa speak in one voice, in the great tradition of democracy that Africa has been encouraged to adopt across the board, the result of that process by many is considered unethical by those journalists and organizations who disagree with their leaderships.

It would appear that some would still like to be in the position of controlling the people and the resources of Africa.  We can call their missions those of human rights or apply whatever label we might choose, to soften the denial of the voice of the African citizenry, but the truth lies in the blatant disrespect of the voice and choice of the African people.  Today, through the advent of the internet and free access to make an impression on the opinions of others, there is a new threat to Africa, it is the threat of the opinionated albeit totally irrelevant journalists and bloggers who are armed only with an ax to grind and an arrogance which leads them to believe that they, more so than the African people, are better able to determine who should lead the nations of Africa.

This Summit might not occur in a country that others might choose, but it might very well be a teachable moment for some individuals to acknowledge the irony of their arrogance and an opportunity to finally accept the tenets of the lofty ideals of democracy – whether they agree with the result of the process or not.  Democracy, and ultimately human rights, are rooted in the belief that the governed shall chose their own path, not a colonial master, and not a bitter angry blogger who has never set foot on the soil which he chooses to disrupt.

Some who now correctly refer to Leon Sullivan as a champion of human rights are the very same individuals who criticized him for his engagement in apartheid South Africa when he unleashed the powerful Sullivan Principles in the early 1970s.

Oddly enough, members of certain critical organizations have also made millions of dollars through their socially conscious investment strategies – a literal copycat of the work that my father was criticized so roundly for creating in the early 1980’s.

The criticism of my father at that time, as is their criticism of me in mine, was his insistence on working within the framework of Africa to assist in the evolution of what is now a free South Africa.  My father did not agree with those who believed that solutions could be achieved by ignoring the issues that exist.  At that time there were calls for a complete economic embargo against the Republic of South Africa in an effort to literally “starve” the nation into submission to democracy.  My father believed that starving the system would only lead to violence and bloodshed at desperation. It would meet the resolve of pride and fear and would not help bring about change within that system; to the contrary, he knew that it would only be through economic engagement with that system that the people of South Africa would be able to participate in their economy and ultimately in the global economy.  In the process of defending his beliefs my father was roundly criticized and many so-called “human rights” organizations chastised him relentlessly for his insistence on corporate disobedience rather than total divestment.  It was this concept, which has now created the entire cottage industry of Corporate Social Responsibility, the basis upon which the UN Millennium Compact and the Calvert Principles were based on.

The legacy of Leon Sullivan is one that does not run away from challenges, controversies, or criticism.  The fact is that organizations, which are created with the spirit of destruction, such as the ones who make their livelihoods bashing others even as they attempt to build records of improvements and reform, are the very same organizations that must create and maintain controversy in order to survive.

Freedom of speech is a wonderful right that we share, but it must be balanced with truth and verification of facts.  It is appalling to read about the blatant untruths that are being perpetrated by journalists and these isolated and disassociated tiny pseudo-organizations to make inflammatory and tortuous claims about others, without any effort or inclination to actually come on the ground to Equatorial Guinea to verify their statements.

The truth is that President Obiang has modernized his country and has implemented major political reforms.  As I look around Equatorial Guinea, it appears the entire country is a worksite in which capital and technology from around the world participate without discrimination – and which provides tens of thousands of jobs for the people of Equatorial Guinea in the process.  The US State Department states as follows about the most recent elections in EG:  International elections observers reported that the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner.

President Obiang has elected voluntarily, to comply with the rules and obligations of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). These rules govern the use of resources provided by oil, natural gas, and other extractive industries.  As of today, there are those critics of the Leon Sullivan Summit who sat on the Board of Directors during the same time period when President Obiang chose to voluntarily comply with their standards. If these critics wish, they are more than welcome to attend the Summit and see for themselves the advancements made by President Obiang for his country.

I urge these critics to make better use of their time writing positive stories about Africa, and reporting truthfully on the legacies of fearless men, particularly those whose wisdom is in no small part the basis upon which they find their daily incomes.

July 14, 2012

Anywhere in the world, the sound that binds us is the laughter of children playing.

We, as a species of human beings, need to figure out how to extend the grace and the optimism of a child – the ability to retain a melody in our minds and make it harmonize with the melody of our counterparts.

I am watching four children play a game in Malabo on a warm Saturday evening in

July.  They play enthusiastically, as children will, under the light provided by just the moon and the setting sun.  They are playing a game of “catch” with a rag filled with sand tied and knotted closed with a piece of string.  The player who drops the prize the least gets to wear the “medal” – the sign of victory.  The “medal” in this game of catch is an aged white robe with a pattern of red roses, which glistens like rare silk under the light of the moon.

And now, the sun has finally set and just my memories of so many Saturday nights in

Mount Airy, the neighborhood where I grew up in Philadelphia, somebody’s mother has rustled the kids home and under one roof with family – away from the complications that nightfall brings.

I don’t know what the drill is once the little ones get inside, but I would bet that the roles that we each took in my childhood home, and that of my friends, are the same in theirs.

Even without walls, once the mother declares the day is done; the day is done. Even without indoor plumbing, a bath is had. Even without electricity, there is a time when Mother says, “that’s enough…go to bed…”

Even without a doorbell or a phone, there is a time when playtime is over and your friends go home; no more calls, no more visits to the door requesting “playtime”.  Get in the bed… Now…

The family of Man, a species of too many tribes and dialects, operates the same, regardless of how we adorn our lives.

I have experienced love for people who speak a language I cannot understand. But what I have learned from my complete lack of knowing what they are saying to me is that joy is joy, laughter is laughter, love is love, and family is family.

Change is difficult.

The longer we remain in patterns the more difficult change seems to be.

When you consider the difficulties we all face in trying to change (improve, upgrade, sweeten or otherwise make better) ourselves, imagine how hard it must be to adjust the perception of millions of people regarding a Continent.  And then, to make matters worse, those whose perceptions you seek to change have their misperceptions imbedded for generations and generations…

Africa, from Day 1, has been the one in the constellation whose presence has been everlasting and unchanging.

Alas, today, Africa is rising.  Like the Phoenix in classical mythology, the unique bird that lived for five or six centuries in the Arabian desert, after this time burning itself on a funeral pyre and rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle.

After generations of being maligned, disrespected, and abused, Africa is rising to assume its rightful place in history.

The Leon H. Sullivan Summit is committed to stand alongside Africa and to use whatever means necessary to garner the respect and dignity she has been denied for generations and generations of Bully Societies.

Today, we issue a challenge to all those who have benefited from their Bully pulpits to commit once and for all to end the pattern of abuse.

Finder’s keepers no more.

In the US, as children we were all taught that if you find a treasure it is yours.  There is no encouragement to find the rightful owner nor is there a need to make the slightest attempt.

Today, as it relates to Africa, we declare “FINDERS KEEPERS NO MORE”.

THE RESOURCES YOU MIGHT STUMBLE UPON IN YOUR EXPLORATIONS AND RESEARCH in Africa are no longer the booty of those who believe they are explorers or discoverers.  If you stumble upon a jewel while you are exploring Africa, do not be deluded – it is not yours.  It is theirs.  And if you want it to be yours, you must pay for it, and pay the price you intend to sell it for.

Africa will not be undersold.

Visit http://thesullivanfoundation.org/100days/ and tell us what you have seen.

I would like to thank everyone who was able to join us for A Night in Cameroon in my home this past Friday evening.

I greatly appreciate the Cameroonian Minister of Arts and Culture, Her Excellency Ama Tutu Muna for sharing her evening and culture with us. She was joined by Cameroonian Ambassador Joseph Foe-Atangana, Equatorial Guinean Ambassador Purificacion Angue Ondo, and Gabonese Ambassador Michael Moussa-Adamo.

I would also like to acknowledge those faces that were missing from the evening, like that of Congressman Donald Payne. We would like to pay our respects to his family and wholeheartedly thank him for his tremendous work advocating on behalf of all Africans.

The Sullivan Foundation has been greatly impressed by the work of Minister Muna as she launches the first national museum in Cameroon this year.  Her dedication to cultural education and recognition are qualities and goals that we greatly admire. She is working to help all Cameroonians unite behind their joint history and build a strong and successful future. We look forward to working with Cameroon to see this bright future for their country and for the continent of Africa.

I am truly grateful to Minister Muna for bringing Cameroonian culture to my home through traditional cuisine and the Cameroon National Ballet.

We are working with the Miss Africa USA Queen, who is from Cameroon, and her pageant’s organizers to bring a container of desperately needed medical supplies to Cameroon this year. Queen Ghyslaine is also working on a campaign to support relief in Somalia.

Our desire at the Sullivan Foundation is to see Africa rise. It is a continent that is demanding excellence, and it is achieving excellence day by day, through its own merits. THIS is Africa Rising!

Created in the name of my father to carry on his dream of seeing Africa excel, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation aims to engage in programs that empower Africa and build the bridge between the United States and Africa.

We are gearing up for Summit IX at this very moment. Check back with us in the coming days for more information regarding this premier event on Africa-US Relations – The Leon H. Sullivan Summit.

Once again, thank you to everyone who joined us in my home last Friday, and it is my sincerest hope that you all will be able to attend Summit IX.

Peace and one love,

Hope Sullivan Masters

Today, as we mourn the loss of a great man, we look back on his meaningful contributions to the world. Congressman Payne was serving his 12th term for New Jersey, after becoming New Jersey’s 1st African American elected to the U.S. Congress in 1988. He was the former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and the current Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. He worked tirelessly on their mission of advancing the global black community by developing leaders through internship and fellowship programs, informing policy, and educating the public.

Congressman Donald Payne will remain forever in the hearts of his family, those of us who consider him family, the African Affairs community, and the world.

Abuja — PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday congratulated former President Olusagun Obasanjo on his 75th birthday.

The President stated this in a letter he personally at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.

The President who noted that former President Obasanjo has lived a life dedicated to the service of humanity, noted that the former President demonstrated exceptional courage and steadfast commitment even in the service to his fatherland, thereby helping to ensure stability in the country.

“You have demonstrated exceptional courage, steadfast commitment and abiding faith in the unity, peace, stability and prosperity of the Nigerian nation. It is gratifying to note that you stand ready to continue to avail us of your wise counsel at all times”

“On the historic occasion of your 75thbirthday anniversary which comes up on Monday, 5th March 2012, I join you, your family, friends and well-wishers to thank Almighty God for the life of fulfillment and uncommon accomplishment which He has blessed you with”

Jonathan also acknowledge the contributions of Obasanjo to Nigeria’s democratic process, leading to his present role as the “Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ruling, and by far the largest political party in Nigeria”

He noted further that the former President dedicated his life to the patriotic service of his father land and helped to consolidate democracy in Nigeria

“You have spent virtually all of your adult life in dedicated patriotic service to our fatherland: as an accomplished officer in our nation’s army; as a military commander who played a historic role in effecting the end of the unfortunate civil war; as a military Head of State who ushered in civil democratic governance; and later serving two terms as a democratically-elected President, and helping to consolidate the democratic process in our country”

“On behalf of my family, the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I congratulate you on this milestone and wish you many more years of fulfillment. Happy Birthday!”

BY TONY AILEMEN, 5 MARCH 2012 of The Daily Champion

“One thousand voices are louder than one, and many hands working together can accomplish so much more than just one pair.” – Hope Sullivan Masters

The Leon. H. Sullivan Foundation recognizes this as an empowerment strategy, and through the GOTTA MISSION – the latest in a series of groundbreaking Sullivan self-help initiatives – endeavors to leverage the incomprehensible power of teamwork, cooperation, and energy will focus on positive change.

GOTTA MISSION promotes teamwork and a sense of community trust and reliance on others among children in sub-Saharan Africa through team sports and recreation. By creating opportunities for children to excel within a team paradigm, we will promote personal responsibility, discipline, trust, and reliance on others – the powerful components of a winning team. Ultimately, our mission is to instill confidence at a young age while providing a safe and constructive outlet.

Childhood on the Continent if often no childhood at all.

Less than one third of the children in Africa have schools to attend, and of that small percentage with the opportunity for education, less than one half are able to attend beyond primary school. Millions of children are orphaned by war, disease, or forced relocation of their mothers, fathers, or both in order to

find employment and earn a living. The future of Africa depends on her sons and daughters; their success, indeed, our success as a globalized society, depends in large part on leaders who can compromise when necessary, take the lead when necessary, and stand down when necessary. In short, well-adjusted adults are team players.

We believe that the semblance of a childhood can be created through recreational play and through reinforcing positive interactions with others. Our goal is to encourage individual responsibility and the benefits of cooperation through structured team sports.

We present you with an opportunity to give a child happy memories and a hopeful future.        Without the necessary equipment, the next Dikembe Mutombo or Freddy Adu will never have the chance to explore their tremendous gift and talent. We aim to provide that equipment and give these children that opportunity.

Our focus is not to build world-class athletes, our hope is that we can enhance the life of a child and give then the opportunity to learn to share laughter, teamwork, victory, and defeat among their peers. Afterall, why are these children, so much like your own children, denied the joy of the mundane, and the exhilaration of the ordinary?

We present you with the opportunity to give a child the chance to emulate their heroes – the role models who occupy the rarified air of a myth.

We present you with the opportunity to give a child the chance to escape the debilitating cycle of poverty and hopelessness.

We present you with the opportunity to give a child a childhood – laughter and all.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

– Martin Luther King

As we look back on those famous words of Dr. King, we remember the struggles that he and Reverend Sullivan endured for all of us. As 2nd Generation Civil Rights Activists, we thank our fathers for their patience and perseverance. They have changed the course of history and continue to inspire us daily.

Please enjoy and meditate on the complete text of Dr. King’s speech at the March on Washington in 1963.

I Have a Dream

by Martin Luther King Jr.

August 28, 1963

Washington, D.C.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

The inaugural African Entrepreneurs Spotlight Networking Event featured Rwandan coffee at the Rwandan-owned BOURBON COFFEE CAFE (2101 L St, NW) on Friday, November 18, 2011. The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation and Operation HOPE participated in President Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Week 2011 by featuring a local Washington, D.C. business.

The primary goal achieved was to expose people to unique African Entrepreneurial endeavors.

Speakers included His Excellency James Kimonyo, Rwandan Ambassador to the U.S.; Karen Richardson and Heather Foster, the White House Office of Public Engagement; Johnetta Hardy, D.C. State Director of USA Entrepreneurship Week; and Ngozi Nmezi, D.C. Director of the Office on African Affairs.

This public event was attended by African entrepreneurs, area business owners, as well as, the recently crowned Miss Africa USA Ghyslaine (GiGi) Tchouaga from Cameroon.

Today, November 18, 2011, is the 20^th anniversary of the day my father was recognized by the United States of America for his vast achievements nationally and internationally.  As I got ready this morning, I remembered getting ready that morning and going to the White House with my father, mother, and siblings for the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony that President George H.W. Bush held.

President Bush took note of my father’s “voice of reason” for over forty years and his lifetime devotion to helping economically and socially disadvantaged people gain equal rights under law throughout world.  (See President Bush’s exact statement here).

I was proud to go with him that morning, and I am proud to continue his work today.  I am privileged to have had Leon Sullivan’s voice of reason guide my entire life, and I was overjoyed to see the President of the United States recognize him as a role-model for his groundbreaking achievements in the Civil Rights Movement and on the continent of Africa.

This December 15^th, the Leon Sullivan Foundation, will recognize individuals and entities making similarly groundbreaking advancements for the nations and people of Africa.  So, I invite you all to join me in celebrating the day President Bush honored my father by also honoring him through your attendance at the 2011 Sullivan Honors in Washington, D.C. Click here to view the event summary

Sincerely,
Hope Sullivan Masters
President and CEO