251 Years Semper Fidelis

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS 10 November 2026, Alkebulan  -- Donald Trump’s “Secretary of War” may have dodged a bullet if the Republican-led 119th U.S. Congress follows through on the most recent impeachment charges.  Yesterday, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) introduced eight articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth.  Today, marks the 251^st Birthday of the United States Marine Corps, an historically significant event which threatens a national misconception of Hegseth’s #ManifestDestiny.   

The next congressional action for the 119th might be to correct the typo.   History reminds every U.S. Marine to follow your last lawful order first.   There is no federal legislation signed by Donald Trump that established a "Department of War."  The official name of the department remains the Department of Defense, which was created by the National Security Act of 1947 and later refined through subsequent legislation. The office of Secretary of Defense was created by Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, not by Donald J. Trump.

The confusion may come from the impeachment resolution. The reference to "Secretary of War" appears in the impeachment resolution. It states that Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, is "also referred to as Secretary of War by the Administration."

Formally, Hegseth heads of the Department of Defense, a department created by the National Security Act of 1947. The Act abolished the old Department of War structure and created the modern national security framework, including the National Military Establishment (later renamed the Department of Defense) and the office of Secretary of Defense.  

The Act further defines the relationship between U.S. Marines within the administrative branch of government.  On 10 November 1775, the Continental Congress authorized a Corps of Marines for shipboard duties during the American Revolution. It was disbanded in 1783 after the Revolutionary War ended.   The United States Marine Corps was officially reestablished by an act of Congress on July 11, 1798, titled An Act for Establishing and Organizing a Marine Corps.   

In one model for a more perfect union, "There are no Black Marines, White Marines, Hispanic Marines, or Asian Marines. There are only Marines."  The quote is best understood as a popular expression of Marine Corps culture rather than a verified quotation that can be confidently attributed to one individual.   Lieutenant General Frank E. Petersen Jr., the first African American Marine Corps general officer, often spoke about being viewed first as a Marine rather than through the lens of race.  His sentiment reflects a long-standing ethos emphasizing a common identity above racial, ethnic, religious, or social distinctions.

Every U.S. Marine studies the history of a nation struggling to become more perfect—but not everybody’s history, herstory, or theirstory.  Hegseth’s tenure serves as a reminder of why the United States of America has Marines.  “America needs an Army to be strong on land, a Navy to be strong at sea, and an Air Force to be strong in the air, said #BlackJesus.   On November 1, 1921, Lieutenant General John A. LeJeune framed a faith-based narrative around a non-religious common identity that supersedes racial and cultural differences. Earlier that year, some brothers from another mother attempted to eradicate “Little Africa.”

The Tulsa Race Massacre (often called the Tulsa Race Riot at the time) began on May 31 and continued into June 1, 1921, when a white mob attacked the prosperous Black community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, an area known as "Black Wall Street."  There was no U.S. Secretary of War and no Secretary of Defense at the time.  The senior civilian official responsible for the was Army Secretary John W. Weeks, who had taken office on March 4, 1921, in the administration of President Warren G. Harding.

Many scholars view the destruction of Greenwood as one of the largest examples, but not an isolated one. Rather, it was part of a broader pattern in which Black communities that achieved significant economic success were sometimes targeted by racial violence or discriminatory policies. There is no exact count because historians define these events differently, but Tulsa was not unique. From the end of Reconstruction through the mid-20th century, dozens of Black communities across the United States experienced race riots, massacres, expulsions, lynching campaigns, or attacks that destroyed homes, businesses, and accumulated wealth.

Lejeune, remembered by some as the "Greatest of All Leathernecks," believed that education was essential to building an effective and professional Marine Corps. He founded the Marine Corps Institute (MCI) which offered vocational and correspondence courses, later evolving into military education and professional military education (PME) for enlisted Marines.  In 2015, MCI's distance-learning mission moved to the College of Distance Education and Training (CDET) at Marine Corps University, and MCI was deactivated.

For Generation Boomer Marines, completing "MCIs" was a major part of career progression and self-education. The institute embodied Lejeune's belief that "the relationship between officer and enlisted Marine is that of teacher and scholar," a philosophy that continues to influence Marine Corps professional education today.

On June 1, 1921, there was no U.S. Secretary of Defense.  When the events in Tulsa occurred on June 1, 1921, the office of Secretary of War was a congressionally created cabinet position that had existed for more than 130 years, and it was held by John W. Weeks, who had taken office on March 4, 1921, in the administration of President Warren G. Harding.  The position of Secretary of Defense was not created until 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947, which reorganized the U.S. military after World War II. 

How it was created

• In 1789, the First Congress established the Department of War and the position of Secretary of War. The legislation was signed by President George Washington.
• The Secretary of War was a civilian cabinet official responsible for overseeing the U.S. Army and, at various times, matters relating to frontier defense, military affairs, and even some administrative functions involving Native American affairs.

Constitutional Basis

Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the authority to:

• Create executive departments.
• Define their duties.
• Appropriate funding for them.

The President appoints cabinet officers, but the offices themselves generally must be created by law.

Evolution of the Position

Year	Change
1789	Congress creates the Department of War and the office of Secretary of War.
1798	Congress creates the separate Department of the Navy.
1921	John W. Weeks serves as Secretary of War during the Tulsa Race Massacre.
1947	The National Security Act of 1947 creates the modern Department of Defense and the office of Secretary of Defense.  There is no Secretary of War to be impeached because the position would have required Congress to amend the National Security Act.
1949	The Department of War is officially renamed the Department of the Army, completing the transition.

 

 

On Election Day Did You Choose CHAOS or COMMUNITY?

 The Case For Stolen Peoples’ Equity

GENERATION ALPHA SECRET MILLIONAIRES:  Generation Alpha #HeirsOfSalvation are Class Action Plaintiffs to the greatest case of stolen peoples equity never accounted for. Your vote today identifies your country as either defendant or plaintiff in International Court.  To forgive today’s debt for the gravest crime against humanity, your children might need to manage as much as $1 trillion USD.  In a nutshell, Generations Z and A will need to visualize 10,000 pallets of $100 million. To achieve, “whatever I believe I can achieve,” one family trust might take all 10,000 pallets and arrange them on the ground double-stacked (two layers high), they would completely fill an entire American football field, including both end zones.

#ThePentecostProject a faith-based, economic justice, and wealth-building initiative rooted in the biblical concept of Pentecost, where resources, opportunity, and empowerment were shared among the community so that "there was not a needy person among them" (Acts 4:34-35). The project identifies class action lawsuits litigated in multiple countries as state participants in “the gravest crime against humanity.”

Theory Statement

Defendants and their predecessors knowingly participated in, financed, insured, and profited from a system of racialized chattel enslavement now recognized by the international community as the gravest crime against humanity. Through ongoing concealment, retention, management, and investment of wealth accumulated from those crimes, defendants have continued to derive unjust economic benefits while descendants of the victims continue to suffer measurable economic harm. Plaintiffs seek disgorgement, restitution, accounting, declaratory relief, and all remedies available under federal, state, and international law.

From a practical litigation perspective, a modern reparations class action would likely rely on a combination of unjust enrichment, equitable restitution, fraudulent concealment, human rights principles, and legislative remedies, with RICO serving as a supplemental theory rather than the primary vehicle.

Below is a model International Reparations Framework for the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans. It is structured as a treaty-style framework that could be proposed by African Union states, CARICOM nations, diaspora organizations, and supporting governments.

INTERNATIONAL REPARATIONS FRAMEWORK

PREAMBLE

Recognizing that the transatlantic trafficking of Africans and the racialized chattel enslavement of Africans constituted an unprecedented system of human exploitation;

Recognizing the enduring economic, social, cultural, political, educational, and health consequences of these acts;

Recognizing that enormous public and private wealth was accumulated through slavery, colonial extraction, forced labor, and racial apartheid systems;

Recognizing the duty of nations and institutions to repair the effects of historic injustice;

Recognizing the continuing injuries experienced by African nations and persons of African descent throughout the world;

The Parties hereby establish the International Reparations Framework.

---

ARTICLE I

FINDINGS

The Parties recognize that:

Section 1

The transatlantic slave trade constituted a crime against humanity.

Section 2

Racialized hereditary slavery constituted a crime against humanity.

Section 3

The economic foundations of numerous institutions, governments, corporations, banks, insurance firms, universities, and commercial enterprises were materially enhanced by slavery.

Section 4

The consequences remain measurable through:

• Wealth deprivation
• Land dispossession
• Educational inequality
• Housing inequality
• Health disparities
• Capital deprivation
• Underdevelopment
• Political instability

---

ARTICLE II

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GLOBAL REPARATIONS AUTHORITY

A permanent body shall be created known as the:

Global Reparations Authority (GRA)

Responsibilities

• Asset tracing
• Historical investigations
• Financial audits
• Distribution oversight
• Claims administration
• Transparency enforcement

Governance

Membership shall include:

• African Union representatives
• CARICOM representatives
• Diaspora representatives
• Indigenous representatives
• International legal experts
• Economists
• Human-rights experts

---

ARTICLE III

REPARATIONS TRUST FUND

A permanent fund shall be established.

See Eco 6  REPARATIONS TRUST FUND modeled from The World Bank Rapid Social Response Umbrella Trust Fund

Managing Unit: WKHS1

VPU: WKHVP

Program Type: Umbrella

Umbrella Program Manager: Weedon, Emily

The objective of the Trust Fund is to support countries in their development and expansion of robust, responsive, and equitable social protection systems to build resilience to shocks and expand sustainable economic opportunities among poor and vulnerable households and communities.

Initial Capitalization Target

$5 trillion over 25 years.

Funding Sources

Sovereign Contributions

Contributions from states that directly participated in:

• Slave trading
• Colonial administration
• Forced labor systems

Corporate Contributions

Contributions from:

• Banks
• Insurance companies
• Trading houses
• Investment institutions
• Universities

Voluntary Contributions

• Foundations
• Religious institutions
• Private donors

---

ARTICLE IV

STATE REPARATIONS PROGRAM

Participating governments shall contribute according to historical involvement.

Tier I States

States whose governments directly sponsored slave-trading systems.

Examples historically include:

• United Kingdom
• Portugal
• Spain
• France
• Netherlands

Tier II States

States whose governments benefited from slavery-derived commerce.

Tier III States

States making voluntary solidarity contributions.

---

ARTICLE V

CORPORATE REPARATIONS PROGRAM

Institutions shown through documentary evidence to have materially benefited from slavery shall participate.

Categories include:

Banking

• Commercial banks
• Investment banks
• Trust companies

Insurance

• Marine insurers
• Life insurers
• Property insurers

Universities

Institutions possessing slavery-derived endowments.

Transportation

• Railroads
• Shipping companies
• Port authorities

---

ARTICLE VI

ASSET TRACING COMMISSION

The Commission shall identify:

Historical Capital

• Slave-trade profits
• Insurance revenues
• Commodity revenues
• Colonial revenues

Present Assets

• Endowments
• Corporate reserves
• Investment funds
• Real estate portfolios

Methodology

Use:

• Forensic accounting
• Economic modeling
• Archival analysis
• Genealogical reconstruction

---

ARTICLE VII

DESCENDANT REPARATIONS PROGRAM

Eligible descendants may participate in:

Educational Reparations

Examples:

• Tuition-free public university education
• Student debt relief
• Graduate fellowship programs

Housing Reparations

Examples:

• First-time homebuyer grants
• Mortgage assistance
• Down-payment assistance

Business Capitalization

Examples:

• Entrepreneur grants
• Venture funds
• Cooperative development funds

---

ARTICLE VIII

COMMUNITY REPARATIONS

Funds shall support:

Housing

• Affordable housing development

Health

• Medical centers
• Mental health programs
• Maternal health initiatives

Infrastructure

• Water systems
• Broadband access
• Transportation projects

Public Safety

• Violence-interruption programs
• Community justice initiatives

---

ARTICLE IX

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FUND

A dedicated fund shall support African nations impacted by the slave trade.

Priority sectors:

Infrastructure

• Roads
• Rail
• Ports
• Energy

Education

• Universities
• Research centers
• Technical institutes

Technology

• Manufacturing
• Artificial intelligence
• Digital economy development

Agriculture

• Food sovereignty programs
• Irrigation systems

---

ARTICLE X

LAND AND CULTURAL RESTORATION

Programs shall support:

Cultural Restoration

• Museums
• Archives
• Historic preservation

Language Preservation

• Indigenous African languages
• Diaspora language recovery

Sacred Sites

Protection and restoration of historic sites connected to slavery.

---

ARTICLE XI

HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVE

A permanent health program shall address disparities linked to historical injustice.

Programs include:

• Preventive medicine
• Maternal health
• Mental health
• Environmental justice
• Chronic disease reduction

---

ARTICLE XII

TRUTH AND DISCLOSURE

All participating institutions must disclose:

Records

• Slave manifests
• Insurance policies
• Bank ledgers
• Corporate archives

Public Database

A searchable global archive shall be established.

---

ARTICLE XIII

MEMORIALIZATION

Participating governments shall:

• Establish national memorials
• Develop educational curricula
• Support annual remembrance events
• Promote historical preservation

---

ARTICLE XIV

NON-REPETITION GUARANTEES

Participating states shall commit to:

• Anti-human-trafficking enforcement
• Anti-racial-discrimination measures
• Human-rights education
• Corporate due-diligence requirements

---

ARTICLE XV

REPARATIONS FORMULA

A recommended distribution model:

Category	Allocation
Descendant Programs	35%
Community Development	25%
African Development Fund	25%
Education & Research	5%
Health Initiatives	5%
Cultural Restoration	3%
Administration	2%

---

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

Phase I (Years 1-3)

• Historical audits
• Asset tracing
• Institutional disclosures
• Claims registration

Phase II (Years 4-10)

• Initial payments
• Housing programs
• Educational programs
• Infrastructure projects

Phase III (Years 11-25)

• Long-term investment programs
• Economic development initiatives
• Generational wealth-building programs

CORE PRINCIPLE

The framework's purpose is not solely monetary compensation. Its objective is to repair the accumulated harms of slavery through a combination of:

1. Truth and disclosure.
2. Institutional accountability.
3. Economic restitution.
4. Community investment.
5. Development financing.
6. Cultural restoration.
7. Wealth-building for descendants.
8. Long-term structural transformation.

Vote #TheColorPurple for #AMorePerfectUnion

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS, October 30, 2026 Alkebulan  --  If conflict resolution in the U.S. mid-term elections depended on one vote, yours, would you choose ActBlue, WinRed, or #TheColorPurple?

The United States has roughly 440-450 Catholic bishops—including The Bishop of Rome.  The color most associated with a bishop is violet (purple), often appearing as a purple sash, piping, skullcap (zucchetto), and other elements of his official attire.  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) does not typically endorse political parties or candidates, but their collective corporate interests point to a shared need for change.  The church  publishes guidance focused on issues such as abortion, religious liberty, immigration, poverty, racism, and care for the vulnerable.

The United Nations has called on Church Universal to believe #NoPoverty2030 is #MissionPossible.   Recent reports state that Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost) voted by mail in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, becoming the first pope known to vote in a U.S. election while serving as pope. The Vatican confirmed that he submitted an absentee ballot from the Vatican to Illinois and said he believes citizens have a right and duty to participate in democratic processes.

Public election records reviewed by various news organizations show that he participated in both Democratic and Republican primaries over the years in Illinois. In practical terms, Christians are the largest voting bloc in the United States and remain one of the most influential groups in national elections.  The U.S. has roughly 240–250 million voting-age citizens, so Christians make up well over 150 million potential voters. Based on the share identifying as Christian, that works out to roughly 160 million+ adults. 

Followers of The Bishop of Rome are no strangers to historically overwhelming odds. In 1896, the forces of Emperor Menelik II defeated an invading Italian army at the Battle of Adwa. The victory forced Italy to recognize Ethiopian sovereignty, making Ethiopia one of the few African states to remain independent during the "Scramble for Africa."

Key facts:

• Battle: Battle of Adwa (March 1, 1896)
• African leader: Menelik II of Ethiopia
• European invader: Italy
• Outcome: Decisive Ethiopian victory and preservation of independence.

Can China-Alkebulan make #NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible?

 

China’s long campaign against extreme poverty and Maryland’s community-led ENOUGH initiative point to practical approaches for advancing UN Sustainable Development Goal 1: clear targets, coordinated government, local ownership, sustained investment and public accountability. YouthUSA’s faith-based approach reinvests $100 m in a replicable reparations trust.

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS, Alkebulan Diaspora October 18, 2026 (1330 Days) -- The world is running out of time on its promise to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere.” Sustainable Development Goal 1 (SDG 1) was never meant to be a slogan. It is a deadline—and deadlines demand delivery. Each of the world’s 2.4 billion Christians share a mandate to believe, “Anything is possible.”

With 2030 approaching, governments must stop treating poverty as a collection of disconnected symptoms and start confronting it as a system: one fueled by faith that “all things are possible.”  Generally acceptable measures include jobs, schools, health, housing, transportation, food access, public benefits and the power residents have over decisions that affect their lives.

Three very different governing contexts offer complementary lessons. China’s poverty reduction record shows what sustained national commitment, economic transformation, infrastructure, targeted assistance and administrative focus can accomplish at scale.

The World Bank estimates that, over four decades, nearly 800 million people in China rose above the international extreme-poverty line, accounting for close to three-quarters of the global reduction during that period.  China has invested more than 110 billion yuan ($16,456,000,000 US Dollar) in fiscal assistance from eastern provinces to western ones, plus over 750 billion yuan ($112,200,000,000 US Dollar) in corporate investment in less‑developed regions. Over 60% of central government funds for rural revitalization have been directed toward industrial development, with all 832 poverty‑lifted counties developing 2–3 local industries generating over 2 trillion yuan in annual output.

Maryland’s ENOUGH initiative, inspired by faith-based values of Governor Wes and First Lady Dawn Moore, is showing the nation’s governors how a government can direct resources toward concentrated child poverty while asking communities—not distant agencies—to shape the solutions. 

The lesson is not that one model can be copied wholesale. China is a nation of more than a billion people; Maryland is a U.S. state. Their political systems, fiscal powers and measures of poverty differ. The useful question is narrower: What operating principles can be adapted—democratically, transparently and with respect for rights—to accelerate progress toward SDG 1?

Stephanie A. Walker Stradford’s vision for Whole of Government #Economic Security incorporates Money-n-the-Bank to measure each whole child within the whole village.  Stradford’s inherited Christian values, starting at birth, evolved at Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church in Maryland, from choir rehearsal and family ministry to a global reparations trust model. 

First, make poverty reduction a whole-of-government mission.

China aligned national priorities, local implementation and public investment around a measurable objective.

Maryland’s approach similarly coordinates agencies and partners instead of leaving education, health, housing and workforce programs in separate lanes. Every jurisdiction pursuing SDG 1 should establish a poverty-delivery unit with authority to align budgets, remove administrative barriers and publish progress across agencies.

#ThePentacostProject partners any of 2.4 billion Christians as #HeirsOfSalvation, declaring by faith, #NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible with #BlackJesus.  The capacity building campaign promotes African values within sustainable circular capacity building.

Second, target places without reducing people to statistics. China’s targeted poverty alleviation relied on identifying households and local constraints, then matching interventions to need. Maryland’s ENOUGH framework channels support to communities with concentrated child poverty and organizes action around education, healthy families, economic security, and safe and thriving neighborhoods. The common principle is precision: use disaggregated data to find where hardship is deepest, then combine it with residents lived experience. Privacy protections are essential.

Third, invest in productive capacity as well as immediate relief. China’s progress was tied not only to transfers, but also to broad economic growth, rural roads, electrification, education, health and links to markets. Maryland adds a vital local lens: pathways to “work, wages and wealth,” paired with childcare, food access, housing and community safety.

A serious NoPoverty2030 mission considers basic needs of all living generations. Families need more trust now; they also need affordable homes, reliable transportation, quality schools, health care, digital access, and jobs that pay enough to build assets.

Fourth, fund local leadership—but require measurable results.

ENOUGH’s most promising feature is its effort to put funding and convening power closer to neighborhoods while maintaining shared outcomes. Maryland’s fiscal year 2027 plan includes $32 million for community-driven ENOUGH grants, providing state grant investments since fiscal year 2025 to $69 million. That scale remains modest when compared to the need, but the architecture matters: public agencies, nonprofits, schools, employers, philanthropies and residents working from one plan, one set of outcomes and a multiyear horizon.

Fifth, protect gains against the next shock. China’s shift toward rural revitalization recognizes that crossing a poverty line once is not the same as achieving lasting security. Maryland’s focus on children and intergenerational mobility makes the same point from another direction. Progress can be reversed by illness, death, displacement, job loss, inflation, climate disasters or rising housing costs. Governments should track vulnerability, as well as income, and automatically connect eligible households to benefits before a crisis becomes a catastrophe.

Racism and War are unnatural inhibitors to #NoPoverty2030.   China’s capacity to overcome racism demonstrates the power of sustained commitment at scale.  Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States began in the 19th century, shortly after Chinese immigrants arrived, particularly during the California Gold Rush and the construction of the transcontinental railroad. Chinese laborers were often scapegoated for economic competition, leading to violent attacks, pogroms, and massacres such as the Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871 and the Rock Springs massacre

Maryland’s ENOUGH strategy demonstrates the power of community direction within a coordinated state framework. ENOUGH signals a time to make business as usual an unacceptable bad habit.  Maryland’s own history of movement through government barriers points to an Underground Railroad, operating roughly from the early 1830s until the Civil War, ending around 1863.

The YouthUSA strategy builds capacity around the youngest heirs in a replicable $100 m reparations trust. Put these lessons together and a credible path emerges: national resolve, community power, targeted resources, shared measurement and long-term accountability.

Poverty is not inevitable. But ending it will require governments to organize as if 2030 is a real deadline—and communities have the power, resources and trust to lead the way.

October Surprise: #NoPoverty rocks political fundraising.

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS, Alkebulan Diaspora October 17, 2026 (1331 Days) —   An estimated 210 million voters in the United States are counting on an “October surprise” in the last 17 days of the 2026 mid-term elections.  It comes amidst divisive political fundraising between Democrats and Republicans. Election Day, established in 1845 by the U.S. Congress, engages citizens in shaping government leadership and policy.   No political event over the last 180 years in U.S. history has resulted in the sustainable outcome of its corporate identity as “One Nation Under God with liberty and justice for all”.

On 17 October 1987, more than 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro square in Paris — the site where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948 — to honor victims of extreme poverty, hunger, and violence.  

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has since reminded America of its call to form “a more perfect union.”

Instead, political leadership has steered a course toward its ultimate demise by failing to visualize the color purple between red and blue. Not all of America’s 350 million souls are eligible to vote, but any two of them can look at a rainbow for guidance on “Where do we go from here?”

In 2005, Arthur A. Fletcher presented goals and timetables for parity as a nation within the United States of America.  In 2025, The African Union designated 2025 as the “Year of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations,” marking a formal continental commitment to address historical injustices such as slavery, colonialism, apartheid, and systemic racial discrimination.   On 25 March 2026, the UN General Assembly declared the transatlantic slave trade and racialized chattel slavery of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.  The 2026 mid-term elections advances the global cause for inclusion as U.S. policy.

 

COMMUNITY over CHAOS may be influenced by one’s religious belief.  However, when a nation’s full faith and credit is threatened, 1331 days to demonstrate #NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible may perhaps be the safest course toward self-preservation.  ActBlue processed about $3.8 billion in the 2024 election cycle, while WinRed processed about $2.4 billion in the same cycle, for a combined total of roughly $6.2 billion.   “No kingdom divided can stand” is a 2000-year-old warning that internal division inevitably leads to collapse, whether in a nation, household, or spiritual realm.  #ThePentacostProject includes any of 2.4 billion #HeirsofSalvation in bridging a digital divide between red and blue with The Color Purple.

An October surprise is a major political event—often a scandal, crisis, or revelation—that breaks in the final weeks of a U.S. presidential campaign and has the potential to influence the outcome of the November election.  The term was coined in 1980 by Ronald Reagan’s campaign manager William Casey, but such late-breaking shocks have occurred for over two centuries.

#ThePentecostProject is a faith-based anti-poverty social action associated with The Free African Society for the 21^st Century. It calls on an estimated 2.4 billion Christians, described as #HeirsofSalvation, to support #NoPoverty2030 through their shared belief that anything is possible.

Goal: Help make ending poverty by 2030 “#MissionPossible.”

Timeline: June 8, 2025, through June 9, 2030, established by the project as Pentecost Sunday.

Audience: Approximately 2.4 billion Christians worldwide.

Focus: Generation Alpha and families in Africa and the African diaspora.

Proposed mechanism: Faith Family Trusts, youth economic inclusion, crowdfunding, and prospective partnerships with institutions such as the African Development Bank.

Religious basis: Pentecost is used as a symbol of spiritual empowerment, collective action, and communication across communities.

The Pentecost Project is best described as an independent campaign or proposed model, not an official United Nations, World Bank, or African Development Bank program. 

A Declaration, Not a Forecast

The 1,331-day objective is a campaign commitment, not a prediction that poverty will disappear automatically by June 9, 2030. Ending poverty requires coordinated action by governments, communities, businesses, charities, faith institutions and people with lived experience of poverty. It also requires transparent measures that distinguish extreme poverty from the broader forms of deprivation recognized in national definitions.

Five Priorities for 1,331 Days

1.      Protect household stability. Support durable social-protection systems, food security, safe housing and access to essential health services.

2.      Expand pathways to decent work. Back skills training, small-enterprise growth, fair access to finance and jobs that provide reliable income.

3.      Invest in children and young people. Prioritize education, nutrition, digital access and protection from shocks that can lock families into intergenerational poverty.

4.      Direct resources where poverty is concentrated. Use credible local data and community leadership, especially in conflict-affected and fragile settings such as in Sub-Saharan Africa.

5.      Publish results. Track funds, participation, services delivered and independently verifiable changes in poverty and well-being.

A Global Constituency

The figure of 2.4 billion broadly corresponds to widely cited estimates of the global Christian population, although demographic totals vary by source, year and method. In this campaign, #HeirsofSalvation, The International Children’s Bible establishes faith-based evidence of inclusion in the True Family of Jesus The Christ.  The term, #BlackJesus presents a visual image of humanity’s origin.

The Measure of the Declaration

A declaration against poverty gains meaning through disciplined action: listening to affected communities, setting public targets, financing proven interventions and reporting outcomes honestly. The next 1,331 days offer a common clock. The test is not the size of the audience reached by a hashtag, but the number of people who gain sustaining security through multiple opportunities.

Source note: Poverty figures and definitions are drawn from the World Bank’s September 2026 Global Poverty Update and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 1 materials. The 2.4 billion figure is presented as an approximate campaign audience, not a verified count of people who identify with the hashtag.

 

How Gen Z Interns Influence Hope

 By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, 

AMWS, September 12, 2026, Atlanta – Can Generation Z influencers transform TripleEvils into an unacceptable practice of the past?  The King Center needs talented interns interested in gaining experience in volunteer engagement, research and education, marketing and communication, and special events.

Consular offices for more than 70 foreign governments are counting on young trustees to occupy Dr. King’s love-centered vision of the Beloved Community.  A global counter-offensive promotes hope for “a chosen generation.”

Reparatory justice goes beyond financial compensation to include acknowledgment, rehabilitation, restitution, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition.  Today’s “Beloved Community International Expo” sets the stage for connecting consular missions with Gen Z influencers.  Together, mentor-protégé teams will enhance economic, commercial, scientific and cultural relationships at hubs across the African Diaspora.

As a city in the state of Georgia, Atlanta is home to 26 diplomatic missions, the seventh-highest concentration of diplomatic missions in the U.S.  Recent findings by the United Nations reveal undervalued assets within a six-state Federal Reserve Region, and an emerging economy of some 350 million Free Africans living across the world’s seven continents.

How many Free Africans does it take to declare #NoPoverty2030 #MissionPossible?

 

1.    Asia – ~5,005,340,000 people (about 59.15% of the world’s population)

2.    Africa – ~1,584,985,000 people (about 18.25%)

Alkebulan.site – The State of the African Diaspora (SOAD) is a sovereign entity representing an additional 350 million souls of the global African diaspora. It has been recognized as the African Union’s Sixth Region, with its own constitution, government, parliament, and international partnerships.

 

3.    Europe – ~743,198,000 people (about 9.22%)

4.    North America – ~621,248,000 people (about 7.52%)

5.    South America – ~440,484,000 people (about 5.57%)

6.    Oceania – ~47,119,000 people (about 0.57%)

7.    Antarctica – 0 people (no permanent civilian population)

Earlier this year, The Obama Presidential Center welcomed hope to a new hub in the Diaspora.  Today, The King Center’s historic campus is transformed into a “World House” where People of all ages can travel around the world without leaving “Sweet Auburn Avenue”.  100 Gen Z influencers, sponsored by Youth Achievers USA Institute, will connect local communities of faith to sustainable service opportunities throughout the African Diaspora.

Join us! September 12th, from 11AM-5:00PM ET, for an experience you won’t forget!

U.S. Senators respond to lynchings in African Diaspora

 Did U.S. Foreign Policy lynch African Diaspora Federal Credit Union?

By Eric Stradford, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired

AMWS, August 16, 2026, Alkebulan - The African Diaspora Federal Credit Union, a U.S. community development financial institution qualifying some 47 million Free Africans for economic inclusion closed accounts for 183 federally insured members of the African Diaspora. 

The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness need more constituent engagement to review continuing economic security threats: U.S. Senate: Freedmen’s Bureau Acts of 1865 and 1866

Total Members: 17

Majority Members (9)	Minority Members (8)
Cornyn, John (TX), Chairman Grassley, Chuck (IA) Thune, John (SD) Scott, Tim (SC) Daines, Steve (MT) Young, Todd (IN) Tillis, Thom (NC) Marshall, Roger (KS) Crapo, Mike (ID), Ex Officio	Warnock, Raphael G. (GA), Ranking Member Bennet, Michael F. (CO) Warner, Mark R. (VA) Whitehouse, Sheldon (RI) Cortez Masto, Catherine (NV) Warren, Elizabeth (MA) Smith, Tina (MN) Wyden, Ron (OR), Ex Officio

 

African Diaspora Federal Credit Union Closes | NCUA (ADFCU) was a federally insured, federally chartered credit union with 183 members and assets of $547,479, according to the credit union’s most recent Call Report.

The State of the African Diaspora (SOAD) operates as a global governance entity with ministers, ambassadors, and programs in culture, agriculture, and infrastructure, fostering connections between Africa and diaspora communities

All U.S. federally insured credit union members: about 145.8 million

African American-owned credit union members: about 726,929, based on the figure already in your document

Overall, the federally insured credit union system holds $2.37 trillion in total assets across 4,411 institutions. African American-owned credit unions, with 205 active institutions down from 318 in 2016, control just 0.34 percent of that total asset base.  That means African American-owned credit unions serve roughly 0.5% of all federally insured credit union members in the U.S.   

African American-owned credit unions hold more than $8.15 billion in assets and serve 726,929 members in 2025, more than doubling their asset base from $3.81 billion in 2016. That growth confirms that Black-owned cooperative finance remains a living, expanding sector — not a historical artifact. Yet placed against the broader credit union landscape, the numbers tell a more sobering story.

HBCU Money’s 2025 African American Owned Credit Union Directory | HBCU Money

Black-owned banks and credit unions have historically played a vital role in expanding access to credit, deposits, homeownership, and small-business financing in communities that were excluded or underserved by mainstream financial institutions. Their challenges are not simply operational weaknesses; they are tied to long-standing disparities in wealth, capital access, regulatory burden, technology investment, and community economic stress.

Core Challenges

1.      Historic undercapitalization: Many Black-owned financial institutions began with smaller capital bases because Black communities were historically denied equal access to wealth-building tools, investment networks, and institutional support.

2.      Small scale and limited operating margins: Smaller asset size can make it difficult to absorb compliance costs, invest in technology, hire specialized staff, or compete with large banks and fintech platforms.

3.      Higher community economic risk: These institutions often serve areas facing lower household wealth, higher unemployment, lower property values, and greater vulnerability to recessions, which can increase loan defaults and reduce deposits.

4.      Technology and visibility gaps: Limited digital banking tools, marketing budgets, websites, and mobile-first services can make it harder to attract younger members and retain customers who expect convenience.

5.      Regulatory pressure: Community banks and credit unions face complex reporting, examination, cybersecurity, anti-money-laundering, and consumer-protection obligations, often with far fewer employees than larger institutions.

6.      Deposit flight and competition: Customers may move funds to larger banks for branch access, ATM networks, perceived safety, app features, rewards, or business services, weakening the deposit base of smaller institutions.

7.      Succession and governance challenges: Some Black-owned credit unions are rooted in churches, civic organizations, HBCUs, or community groups. When leadership ages out or the sponsoring institution weakens, the financial institution can lose momentum.

8.      Mission-versus-margin tension: Black-owned banks and credit unions often extend credit where traditional institutions have refused. That mission is essential, but it requires patient capital, strong risk controls, and outside support to remain sustainable.

Why #BlackBankingMatters

When a Black-owned bank or credit union fails, merges, or disappears, the loss is larger than a balance sheet. Communities lose trusted lenders, culturally connected financial guidance, institutional memory, and local control over credit decisions. The result can deepen reliance on large outside banks, payday lenders, check-cashing services, and other institutions that may not be designed around community reinvestment.

Framing statement: The failure of Black-owned financial institutions is not evidence that the mission is flawed. It is evidence that institutions serving historically excluded communities are often expected to solve structural financial inequality with fewer resources, smaller capital reserves, and less institutional support than their larger competitors.

Step 1 – Partnery your Bank or Credit Union www.Alkebulan.us