Who is Dr. Oba T’shaka (formerly Bill Bradley) and what does he bring to his lectures?
Let’s begin with the most important question, who is he? He’s a Master Spiritual Scholar and Warrior; he’s a Master Strategist, Leader and Organizer and, as will become clear shortly, he is a former Professor, as well as an Author and Public Speaker. His work as a Professor gained him the reputation of being an Organic Scholar; a reputation he embraced, acknowledging his scholarship as being rooted and influenced by his work in the Black Liberation Movement during the 1960s.
During his long life as a Spiritual Scholar and Warrior, Dr. T’shaka has never had a “shadow” thrown on his honor or character. He is known for being kind to his people and all humanity. He is known for feeding the hungry, providing jobs for the jobless, roofs for the houseless, direction for the aimless and a knowledge of self for those who lack self-definition. These attributes are rooted in a strong character which values truth and integrity above all things. Adhering to these values has rendered Dr. Oba T’shaka fearless in the face of movement battles. His fearlessness has driven fear into the hearts of his people’s enemies, why; because, as he has learned time and time again, they who seek to oppress, fear uncompromising truth seekers who cannot be purchased for money, recognition or a seat at their table. This is who he is and the foundation from which he speaks from.
This brings us to the second question, what does he bring to his lectures? First and foremost, experience. Second, a life unbelievably lived; from his work in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement alongside Dr. King and Malcolm X; to his work in the 1970s Black Power Movement; to his work in the 1980s Black Studies Movement; to his work, alongside other pioneers of the Black Studies Movement, in the 1990s, against those societal elements dedicated to destroying Black Studies; to his work during the 2000s to transform Black Studies into Africana Studies; he has participated in and instrumentally led these movements to victories, even when odds suggested defeat was assured. These experiences, along with original stories often unfound in books, is what he brings to his lectures – and this is only an introduction.
From his four decades as a professor, Dr. Oba T’shaka has studied and developed a comprehensive understanding of eighteen areas of study; African Philosophy, African American Philosophy, European Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy, Toltec Philosophy, African and African American history, African American Culture, Strategy, Black Political Movements, African and African American Leadership traditions and systems, African and the African American Family Paradigm, African and African
American systems of Instruction (Pedagogy or Seba), African American music and the Black church. Did you get all that?
Why should you watch Dr. T’Shaka’s youtube lectures? Four reasons;
REASON 1
Black Lives Matter, a connection between the Hip Hop Generation and the Civil Rights Generation, following in the footsteps of his Mentor Dr. John Hendrik Clarke, Dr. Oba T’shaka has dedicated his post-professorial years to building up Generational Activists by sharing what he has learned during his sixty-plus years organizing throughout the country and world. Lecturing is an extension from his strategy to fulfill this commitment.
REASON 2
A Rising Interest in the Civil Rights Movement; from the 1619 Project to Reparations to CRT Book Bans to an Increased commitment to attending HBCU’s by Black Students; a true Black Power, Black Culture Renaissance is occurring among this Generation, as is a renewed desire to critique what occurred during the Civil Rights Movement and the interceding years. Dr. Oba T’shaka, having participated in, led or marshalled every major movement campaign or strategy since the early 1960s, provides a unique critical analytical perspective of those movement campaigns and strategies.
REASON 3
A Rising Interest, by this generation, in Reconstituting Black Cultural Memory and Communal Integrity; recall the “eighteen areas of study” Dr. Oba T’shaka “developed a comprehensive understanding of”, over three-fourths contained the phrases African or African-American, signaling the importance Dr. Oba T’shaka placed on connecting the needs in his Black American community with the solutions provided within the broader African Diasporic community, his experiences and studies leading him to place an emphasis on the African aspect inside the Diasporic model.
REASON 4
To Utilize and Distribute his massive experience (as a Tool) to Help Black Lives Matter. Having spent his life engaged in movement strategizing, organizing and mobilizing; Dr. T’shaka has developed systems for creating sustainable leadership models inside the Black Community. In his books, The Art of Leadership Volume 1 and 2 and the aforementioned, Integration Trap, Generation Gap; he explains these models in detail, including introducing the readers to The Fold Stages for Mental Freedom and The Per Ankh [House of Life] Amilcar Cabral, Ella Baker Leadership/ Organizers University. Explaining both here would be a disservice to their complexity, so I encourage the reader to consult both books for more information.
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“African and African-American resistance movements, they’ve drawn from three major cultural sources for Black people – and many others, but the three main ones have been [1] the might spirit that dwells within, [2] the love of family and [3] the belief in human beings”. – From the lecture Drawing On The African Conception Of God To Guide “Our Choice Between Two Cultures”
The Dr. Oba T'Shaka Show Archive & More 