(ATLANTA – March 27, 2023) – It is our distinct pleasure to announce that Willie Ricks, also known as Mukasa Dada, will be an honoree at our upcoming Black Wall Street ATLANTA scheduled for May 17, 2023, from 6 to 8 pm at the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, located at 807 ATLANTA STUDENT MOVEMENT BLVD., ATLANTA, GA 30314.
RSVP at https://blackwallstreetatl2023.eventbrite.com.
Who is Mukasa?
According to Civil Rights Voices Speak, “Due to how violent the marches became, the NAACP came to Chattanooga to introduce the activists there to nonviolence, which was his initial introduction to the concept of nonviolence. However, [Mukasa‘s] reputation of militancy made it through the grapevine allowing Jim Forman to hear about him and want him involved in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1963. Within SNCC, Mukasa Dada became an organizer in Alabama and Georgia. His work involved preparing people for literacy tests and forming schools Freedom Schools. Later in 1966, he became a field secretary in Lowndes County and developed an alternative to the Democratic Party. This party was the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, which came to be known as the Black Panther Party. Also, during the Meredith March Against Fear in 1966, Mukasa Dada coined the phrase “black power” during a motivational speech to pull in more marchers. He is currently still very active in speaking about black empowerment around the world and has contributed to various publications regarding the movement.
At BMORENews.com, supporting Black businesses is of paramount importance. No one hires Black people more than Black people. It’s a fact of life. Hence, this Black-owned news outlet established in 2002 has made it our business to advocate for other Black-owned businesses both locally and nationally.
In 2011, we created the Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award where we celebrate Black entrepreneurs and professionals as well as the people who support them regardless of race. To date, we have honored over 2,000 individuals in New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Atlanta, New Orleans, Birmingham, Las Vegas, and Tulsa.
Thus, it will be our joy to recognize Mukasa. He has been touching souls for a long time. He has kept us informed of the worldwide struggles that people of color face on a daily basis. And he has been on the ground fighting, wherever that fight should take place.
Ultimately, our aim is to help preserve little-known Black Wall Street history nationally and to inspire entrepreneurship, beginning in the Black community. We know that the stronger these businesses become, the better able they are to hire people from our community.
