Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Continues The Legacy of the Congo Connection

 Booker T Washington's Tuskegee Continues
The Legacy of the Congo Connection

Booker T. Washington in his 1904 essay "Cruelty in the Congo" articulated profound African solidarity when he noted "The oppression of the colored race in any one part of the world means, sooner or later, the oppression of the same race elsewhere." Booker T. Washington championed the cause of the Congolese people. Washington was a member of the Congo Reform Association, which exposed the crimes of King Leopold II in the Congo. 

(L to R) Mayor, Louis d’Or Ntumba Tshiapota
Senator, Eddy Mundela, & Mayor Tony Haygood

Today, his home base of Tuskegee, Alabama and Tuskegee University continue the tradition and heritage of connecting with and standing by the Congolese people. Eddy Mundela, the vice-president of the D.R. Congo Senate, Tuskegee Mayor, Tony Haygood and Agriculturalist and Entrepreneur, Dewey Boyd are leading the way in connecting Tuskegee with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) via a sister city initiative.

On June 13, 2022, Tuskegee formally established a Sister City relationship with Mubji Mayi in the Kasai province of the D.R. Congo and its current Mayor Louis d’Or Ntumba Tshiapota. Mayor Haygood, Senator Mundela and Mayor Tshiapota signed the accord in front of an august delegation of dignitaries in Tuskegee, Alabama.

The accord goes beyond the symbolic and will involve skills transfer, technology exchange, trade and commerce. The initiative is part and parcel of an overall initiative to connect Black farmers and agriculturalists with Congolese entrepreneurs, collectives and cities. It is the 21st century version of a mighty race lifting itself up through partnerships and collaborations. We encourage you to join this Pan African economic effort and be a part of advancing African peoples at home and abroad.