International President
Ivory Muhammad was born August 17th
1975 in Jackson Mississippi. Her father was a SNCC organizer in the
60’s and his family’s home was bombed as a result of his
constant agitation against the state and his inspiring determination
to Free African people. She is also the daughter of a former
member of the New Afrikan Peoples Organization and leadership of the
New Afrikan Women’s Taskforce. She comes from a large
family of 10 brothers and 4 sisters.
Ivory’s family moved to New York; where she spent the majority of her childhood, In Harlem. In her leisure time Ivory was a long distance track athlete and a member of the Marie Brooks African dance troop in New York and in her adult life would dance with the Birmingham African Dance Ensemble.
While growing up, Ivory became more and more aware of the harsh conditions of life for African people as it began to affect her personal life consistently. She witnessed many police raids, and experienced unfair treatment by the police towards her own brothers. Her brothers were arrested many times for simply walking down the street in white neighborhoods and wearing medallions with African emblems on them which was popular in the late 80’s. Her brother’s best friend was shot in cold blood by the N.Y.P.D. while still a teenager never having the chance to live as an adult. Ivory was very disgruntled throughout her life by the relationship of the state towards African people.
Ivory was introduced to the All African People’s Revolutionary Party at a very young age, which is when she first learned the slogan “How we gonna make the Black Nation Rise, Gotta Agitate, Educate, and Organize. Her family moved from the AAPRP to become members of the New African Peoples Organization in which Ivory was a member of the New Afrikan Scouts in 1985 and then moved on to become a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. While a member of this organization, Ivory participated in the New Afrikan Panthers, which was the youth wing of the movement. The New African Panthers trained her in survival skills and to be disciplined in mind, body, and spirit, and helped her sharpen her ability to identify and struggle against some of the contradictions facing African people. She also participated in the A.H.A.P. (African Heritage After school Program), under the direction of well known author of the book ‘Yurugu’, Marimba Ani. This program equipped her with a beautiful knowledge of Africa and her people which have enabled her to appreciate the contributions of African people.
Ivory Muhammad traveled to Africa when she was only thirteen, visiting the country of Egypt, where she climbed the Pyramids of Giza. Later in her adult life she visited the countries of Gambia and Senegal. She toured Goree Island and experienced the horror of the terrible holding cells where European slave catchers kept African people before they spread them across the world. Africans were kept as slaves in the downstairs of the slave dungeon while white folks sipped tea and had parties upstairs. When Ivory looked out of the door of no return where she saw the path taken to transport African people in shackles and chains she felt it necessary to change the conditions that were created through this horrendous kidnapping of the masses of African people, which was the starting point of the theft of African self-determination. These stepping stones in her life helped her to understand her role in the liberation struggle of African people and opened her up to the strategy of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, which was brought to her attention by the now, International Membership Coordinator of InPDUM in March 2006.
Her experience with InPDUM helped to deepen her political outlook on life and as a result she became interested in the strategies of the African People’s Socialist Party. After months of organizing on the ground with InPDUM she joined InPDUM October 2006 and learned more and more about the in depth strategic plans of the APSP and began to recognize that African Internationalism was the foundation necessary to gain true freedom, through a movement led by the African working class.
She is currently the International President of the International Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement and is also a member of the African Peoples Socialist Party, which fuels her understanding of the war on African people across the globe and the necessary strategic plan to remove all borders in order for African people to be united as one. Until she became a member of the Uhuru movement she was seeking more information to explain the predicament of African people. Although she was involved in the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement which attempted to deal with the conditions of African people, she recognized that the strategy necessary for our worldwide Freedom was the strategy of African Internationalism, put forth by the Uhuru Movement which explains the importance of breaking down any borders that stop African people from being united as one and the importance of the working class’ role in leading the liberation struggle.
The Uhuru movement provided Ivory with the answers she needed and the strategy necessary to be able to fight with confidence and lifelong commitment to this struggle. Ivory Muhammad holds a Bachelors degree in sociology and has obtained her Masters degree in Social Work. She plans to use her degree to help organize African people into political life and to leave the colonial intention of these degrees that seek for Africans to use our labor for the development of the white ruling class. Ivory’s revolutionary life is all coming together with a deeper understanding of Africa, African Internationalism, and how to create strategic struggle.
One Africa – One Nation!!!
