A hero is an individual who in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This quality demonstrated by millions of Congolese, especially the youth of the Congo, is something I have seen so much as I search for the Congolese connection to the blacks here in America.
In 2008, I was fascinated to learn about the rich history on the Congo filled with ordinary people who always stood up to support the Congolese. Knowing that Dr Yvonne Seon (Dave Chapelle's mother) was the first African-American to work with the new Congolese government in 1960 under Patrice Lumumba was very rewarding as I searched for Congolese history in the United States.
I still remember how she told me to always share the work of African-Americans in the Congo that has been done for centuries. A few historical names to mention are George Washington Williams, William Sheppard and Lucy Gantt Sheppard who came to the Congo 100 years ago in support of the Congolese who were back then struggling to regain sovereignty of their land under the brutal rule of Leopold. They were not the only ones who did something about the Congolese struggle in the late 1800.
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