Reflections on the Wisdom of an Ancestor: Dr. John F. Price

By Dr. Gloria Latimore-Peace and Dr. Josef Ben Levi

Presented by Omni-University

Ancestor "Baba Prince", Dr. John F. Price

Shortly after the Levees "broke" in New Orleans ( August 23, 2005), Ancestor Baba Prince, Dr.John F. Price and Prof.Josef Ben Levi consented to an interview on "The H3O Art of Life Show" entitled "Help Somebody!, Part Two." Their observations were prophetic to such a degree that when you watch the show today, the issues then- with the exception of the flood- are almost identical to the issues of the day. In the video that follows this introduction, you will witness their incisive analyses. In addition to the excellent historical backstory that Prof. Josef Ben Levi contributed to the presentation, he has, herein, provided us with an eyewitness update.

Speaking to the question of what he termed an "incapacitated government" Dr. Price asked, rhetorically, why it is that "you can send a rocket to the moon but, you can't get people off of roofs?"; why did they ignore problems they knew were coming?... In his ensuing remarks, Dr. Price answers these questions himself and, after observing that "We put too much faith in these institutions", he offers a solution which has its roots in the "Do For Self " philosophy of the Ancestors: The Hon. Marcus M. Garvey; The Hon. Elijah Mohammad; Pres. Julius Nyerere(Tanzania), et al. In essence, (paraphrasing Dr. Price)," We must take responsibility...We must take our power back from politicians who don't always have our best interests at heart."

New Orleans, a city with a pre-KATRINA population estimated at 500,000, had been reduced to approximately 250,000 when it was all over. Most of the Black "refugees" never came back. The pre-quarantine New Orleans state of affairs is radically different. The observation that "significant gentrification has taken place" is a significant understatement:

The devastation of the all-Black 9th Ward has become a tourist attraction. Now it is partly a "musicians" village with a few Black people. The 9th Ward could ultimately become a formal museum of the past [history], in the humble opinion of Dr. Ben Levi.

The Treme area, near Louis Armstrong Park, which used to be public housing,has now been converted into condominiums;

The former "Storyville", famous as a "red light" district, has been "gentrified" and the former residences have also been converted to condos;

There are fewer people still living in NOLA (New Orleans, La.) and many, many more tourists and foreign visitors from Europe and AsIa who are buying property;

There are no public schools in New Orleans. They are all Charter schools, thanks to Recovery District Supt. Paul Vallas. Whites who don't want their children to attend the Charter Schools enroll them in private schools.

FEMA had already developed a strategy to "change the complexion of New Orleans" during the George W. Bush Administration and that plan is gradually being put into action;

They have done an excellent job of marking all of the locations in the city related to "slavery" and the "slave-trade". They even have a website, NOLA SLAVE TRADE... Enough said???

You are urged to watch (below) "Help, Somebody!, Part 2", an episode of The H3O Art of Life Show, featuring: Ancestor Dr. John F. Price and Prof. Josef Ben Levi. Also read our H30 Art of Life Blog entitled: "Remembering Baba Prince, Dr. Johnny F. Price."

We hope you will continue to support us by sharing our H3O Art of Life Blogs with others through whatever means are available to you. As always we welcome your comments. Thank you.

Dr. Gloria J. Latimore-Peace,

Founder, Omni-U Virtual University

Creator, The H3O Art of Life Blog

Host/Producer, The H3O Art of Life Show