107.3 JAMZ! Celebrates Black History Month

Upstate Black History Maker Recognized February 18, 2006
Efia Nwangaza: A voice to lead the struggle for Self-Determination

Efia Nwangaza came to Greenville, South Carolina due to a concern with land being lost at a rapid rate in the Black Community in the mid 1970's. Dorothy Manigault (Director of Greenville Legal Services) extended her an offer to serve as Legal Service's Attorney. Nwangaza worked as an in-house specialist with emphasis on land grants and other revenues that were being sparsely used to upgrade and renovate the Black Communities. She soon became a thorn in their flesh simply because of certain questions she raised in connection with how the Black neighborhoods in Greenville were being seriously neglected and rejected. It was not long before she was excluded from meetings. It was difficult for Nwangaza to deal with the fact that when minimal amounts of money were spent in the Black Communities, the jobs were given to White contractors, and Black contractors were never given the opportunity to bid or work on any of these jobs. White contractors would do extremely shabby work, and the City Officials never even bothered to inspect a completed job, nor would they entertain a complaint when it was apparent that the work was poor and insufficient.

Nwangaza's primary activity is the Malcolm X Center, located at 321 West Antrim Drive, off Pleasant burg Drive. This center is a community based Think-Tank. It is an African American Institute for Policy Studies and Planning. It grew out of the Rodney King beating and rebellion. The objective is to take a look at how we deal with the problems facing the Black Community. How do we use our resources? There is a retreat every two years. The first retreat was held in 1992 at Reedy River Baptist Church. During this retreat, there is a discussion on the various areas of human activity such as health, education, law, entertainment, and inter-personal relationships. People come together to talk, and recognize the breaches in the system, and learn how to deal with the system in a more effective manner. There is brainstorming, and individuals have a chance to vent, however, it is not about the individual complaint. It is all a matter of identifying who is responsible for the problem, and who is also responsible for getting the problem resolved.

Nwangaza also spearheads the Malcolm X Festival, held every year in Cleveland Park. This event takes place on the third Sunday in May. In the beginning it was met with opposition and certain restrictions, but in the years past, restrictions have been lifted, and the Malcolm X Festival has become a part of the Greenville County's calendar of yearly events.

Nwangaza was also part of an organization called Phoenix Square Limited Partnership. They purchased the Temple Building, which is a building of historical value. It is now listed on The National Register of Historical Places. The plan was to renovate the building and construct a Senior Citizen complex on the site. There is still hope of at least placing a historical marker there to note the historical significance of the Temple Building in the Black History Archives of Greenville, South Carolina.

Nwangaza is a part of the National Committee of Anti-War and National Co-Chair of the Jericho Movement, a movement with a defined goal of gaining recognition of the fact that political prisoners and prisoners of war exist inside the United States, despite the United States Government's continued denial, and winning amnesty and freedom for these political prisoners.

She works on a joint project with the Urban League, The Department of Social Services, and Amnesty International to Partnership for Youth Development. The thrust is to teach youth what it means to have a profession. It is not just about making money, it is about being of service to the community.

Efia Nwangaza's message to our lost and confused youth of this generation is to, "Become enraged, get enabled, get embolden, get engaged. Life is not a spectator sport. We must become participants."