Shehere Khepra - Honoring PLM's Outstanding Example

Baba Imhotep Fatiu, has earned the respect of many throughout the city of Baltimore and PLM shows our loyalty by honoring him each year during the month of March at our Shehere Khepera.

This is a sacred gathering to honor the creator of PLM, as well as celebrate his birth and existence. This celebration is an opportunity for PLM and community to praise, give reverence and remember the life and work of our leader Baba Imhotep Fatiu.

What level of dedication or sacrifice must a man have in order to merit the admiration of an entire city? The simple answer is, nothing less than full lifelong commitment, and that is what Baba Imhotep provides. The true depths of his sacrifice can only be understood by those willing to take journey with him. For readers who want to get a peek by reading this article, continue reading uninterruptedly and allow your mind to imagine what it may feel like if you were going through these situations.

Baba has never been a man to hide his experiences, starting from a series of street activities and betrayals which ultimately resulted in his incarceration. Forgiving those who have betrayed him, his life took a turn after reading the book, "From Superman to Man" by J.A Rogers. Inspired by the character Dixon, Baba committed himself to reading extensively on the history and culture of African people, from the continent to Europe and Asia, the Americas and beyond. While spending many hours studying, Baba spent his remaining hours engaging with other incarcerated Black men, elevating their consciousness, reshaping their worldview and transforming their lives.

In one of his books Baba states, "I was serving 360 days in solitary confinement... I have always been of the mindset that time has to be maximized. It made sense to me to take advantage of my time on lockup by educating and organizing the younger brothers there. I began conducting political education discussions every night between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. . The subject matter of these discussions consisted of African history, African culture, current events, world affairs, African centeredness, Pan-Africanism and revolutionary science."

Those familiar with the school to prison pipeline are aware that a large number of incarcerated young men struggle with reading and writing on an elementary level. Under the tutelage of Baba, many such men learned to read, right and articulate sophisticated concepts related to social welfare, politics, culture, national development and history. Baba states, "As I began dialoguing with these young brothers on a regular basis about the various aspects of socio-political and economic conditions of African people, I noticed that they were actually intrigued. As the nights passed, their hunger for knowledge increased. Eventually, they began to initiate our nightly dialogue. I had instructed them to start reading the newspaper and to keep up with the current events and world affairs. I expressed to them that it didn't make any sense to be living within this world yet ignorant to what's happening within it. I told them that ignorance places you at a disadvantage."

Babas effectiveness of teaching black men came with mixed reviews from facilitators of the institution. These mixed feelings resulted in Baba being transferred from one prison to another, an attempt to stifle his communication and influence. We rejoice to the ancestors that those attempts failed, it would make Baba even more effective.

Fast forward to 2004, Baba was released from prison into a society where, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, he was 66% likely to return to prison within 3 years and 82% likely to return within 10. No recidivism has occurred. Since his return, he has continued to commit himself to the development of PLM which has been greatly aided through his marriage with Mama Ife Fatiu. We praise Mama Ife for her patience and endurance in their relationship and her contributions to PLM as the first woman to be a Fatiu!

Through the assistance of his wife, family and cultivated men and women of PLM, Baba would spend the next 20 years hosting study class, 7 day Kwanzaa celebrations, running youth organizations and summer camps, collaborating with other organization, helping to construct or refine the protocols of other black organizations in need and most importantly spending countless nights and early mornings counseling couples in their relationships.

Baba's resounding message is for us to understand the time period in which we live. Once we understand the necessity of what we must do, there are two options; to fulfill our historical mission or to betray it.

Thus, Shehere Khepera honors the life of Baba Imhotep as he continues to fulfill his historical mission and sets the precedence for all Fatius to fulfill theirs. Happy birthday Baba Imhotep!

A special asante sana to all those who continuously help to make this event a success, Heru-Acending Homeschool Coop Initiative, Egbe Oya Obinein Rites of Passage, UNIA, and PLM.