I found great inspiration in the lessons from Booker T Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. There were numerous others but growing up these were the people that helped to shape my thoughts.

I grew up in South Africa during 1961 - 1982 and of course, it was challenging on many levels. One of my greatest needs at the time was to understand what was going on around the world, especially in the US and the struggle of American Africans. We knew a lot about the current African leaders including Moishe Tsombe, Patrice Lumumba, Jomo Kenyatta and the Maui Maui, Julius Neyrere and Gamal Nasser, leaders of the Pan African and Pan Arab movements, but we did not have easy access to information and news of the African American experience.

Growing up I went to Preswich Primary School which was next to Cape Town Harbor and on a clear day you could see Robben Island. I quickly learned as an elementary school student who was imprisoned there and why. One of my earliest political activity was to distribute pamphlets for meetings that was banned by the Government. I was so scared I would hide it in my pants. Looking back I wonder what those people were thinking as they came to answer the door and there is that little standard 5 boy (7th Grade) pulling a pamphlet from inside of his pants. Of course some of them were supportive and some would ask if my parents knew what I was doing?

At the time, South Africa had strict censorship laws under the Apartheid system so any materials that might be perceived as inspiring and motivating to South Africans were banned. To this degree, all writings and publications by African Americans and their struggle for civil rights in the US were banned. I remember every Friday afternoon having to hitchhike from the suburbs where I lived into town to get to the US Information Agency in Plein Street, Cape Town. They had all these banned books and I could read them there because the SA Government did not have jurisdiction there. They would also show the US evening news broadcast and I could keep up to date with what was going on in the US.

I found great inspiration in the lessons from Booker T Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. There were numerous others but growing up these were the people that helped to shape my thoughts. Washington and Du Bois were the inspiration to continue with my education until I received my Doctorate and in all things it was in the field of Education.

Other than the academic and intellectual activities, I also enjoyed listening to American Jazz, especially artists like Charlie Parker, and Junior Cook among others but my favorite was always Blue Mitchell.