Reparations from the Inside Out: In Memory of Ancestor Dr. Conrad W. Worrill, Part 1
Updated: Aug 15
By Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong
Presented by Omni-U Virtual University
As I approached the writing of my reflections on Baba Conrad Worrill, I was guided to my ancestral altar. I lit my candle, burned frankincense and myrrh, and poured libation. A recording of sweet, Indigenous flute music played to the steady sound of softly falling forest rain. As I watered my tropical plants, that stretched across my bay windows with shimmering touches of gold, bronze, green and blue, I spoke the names of my mother, Christine Smith Mcloud, of Conrad Worrill, Hanibal Afrik, Jacob Carruthers, Gwendolyn Brooks, Malcolm X, Anderson Thompson and others who taught me how to love and to see the Africa in me.
Seated that night at my altar with only the candle’s glow, I reflected on sharing love, laughter, warm hugs and tears just months ago at a sisterhood gathering in Atlanta with now Ancestor Queen Mother Mashariki Jywanza. Inspired by her as a stalwart leader of N’COBRA (the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America), I continue to be compelled to use the weapon of words as a storyteller to help decolonize the minds of my listeners – and even ,continually, of myself. So, I welcome the reader to join me in what I call a literary libation. I ask you to pause now in this moment and speak the names of others to be remembered. See their smiles, hear their laughter, feel their fury, and remember their counsel, wisdom, instructions and love. Offer to them some thought, intention or plan that will honor their spirits and great works and keep us connected to their flame.
Many of the readers of this article will likely have known or, at least, have been familiar with Dr. Conrad W. Worrill. For others, please allow me to introduce you to an inspiring leader.
Baba Conrad will long be remembered and appreciated for his quick wit, distinctive humor; for his directness, his brilliant mind, honest smile; for his leadership, fast moving pace, kindness, approachability; and, for his love of and commitment to Black people.
Born on August 15, 1941 in Pasadena, California, Baba Conrad was the son of a father who was active in the NAACP and the YMCA.
At the age of 9, Baba Conrad arrived in Chicago, a city filled with opportunities, to observe various patterns of justice – and lack thereof. As he followed in his father’s footsteps, his own personal experiences helped him to see the injustices so prevalent all around him. He studied “Applied Behavioral Sciences” at George Williams College. Later, he received his PhD in “Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary Social Studies” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Worrill was a lifetime member of N’COBRA and was elected as its Economic Development Commissioner. He was also on the Board of the Black United Front.
Having personal knowledge of the advantages of having access to athletic spaces and opportunities, he worked tirelessly for over 30 years to secure, in 2021, a $60 million dollar indoor track and field course on Chicago’s south side. Located on 102nd near Cottage Grove Avenue. it was named the “Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field at Gately Park.” He stated, “Obviously, a lot of my work, know, has to do with saving our young Black people who, at this moment in history, seem to be challenged with their survival, particularly in inner-city communities.” It seems that this intention was at the root of all that Baba Conrad did and it manifested in different ways. He was a participant in and supporter of so many efforts; but they all led to what was best for the overall well-being and survival of Black people.
Renaissance of the Reparations Movement
Baba Conrad is the primary inspiration for my examination of the demand for reparations for Black African Descendants. Initially, for many, the movement was somewhat like the dare to “Say it loud! I’m Black and I’m proud!” It gave many people pause when you’d been taught by so much around you that being “Black” was not a “favorable” thing and nothing to be proud of. There was resistance, even fear, of repercussions. Stating one’s beliefs too loudly could threaten one’s job security and even be dangerous – as it so often was.
Few of us in the Chicagoland area, and even far beyond, will recall any greater champion in the past 40 years for the call for Reparations than our dear Brother Dr. Conrad Worrill. Along with Baba Hanibal Afrik and many others, organizations, such as N’COBRA, now celebrating its 36th year, were developed. This organization has made appreciable gains over the years. They have increasingly joined forces with more organizations, raising awareness and pursuing legislation to advance their mission.
It is important to note, however, that this effort to gain reparations for slavery in this country, did not begin in the ‘60’s. The Special Field Order #15 of 1865 is the one for which most of the “emancipated” individuals – and their descendants, to this date- have still not yet received the provisions promised.
A very important figure was Callie Guy House. She was born enslaved in Rutherford County near Nashville, TN around 1861. She is often considered, by African Americans, to be Mother of the Reparations Movement. Much had been done for decades to secure reparations but, most often, without success. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma dismissed the case of the last 3 known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, as though such massive and wanton destruction of a thriving Black community didn’t matter at all. This was the case of Mrs. Lessie Benningfield Randle (109); Mrs. Viola Fletcher (110) and Mrs. Fletcher’s brother Mr. Hughes Van Ellis (102) who had fought in an all-Black anti-aircraft unit in World War II. Mr. Ellis died in 2023 at the age of 102, and it was affirmed, by the decision of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, that his service to and sacrifices on behalf of this country, meant nothing. The kind of consciousness that would lead to such a decision provides a true example and understanding of “how the west was won.”
Baba Conrad was committed to the study of the global impact of the forced and generationally uncompensated labor of Africans throughout the Diaspora. The impetus for Baba Conrad’s push for reparations was due not only to the familial, psychological, and cultural trauma of enslavement, but also to the contributions of the inventive genius and creativity of the formerly enslaved – and non-enslaved - Africans to the advancements of global civilizations and to the wealth of the world’s governmental and corporate bodies and leaders. He believed, as do many others, that the time for reparations is long past due.
While the fight for Reparations from the federal government continues, careful attention should also be paid to forces at work that are closer to home. Our art forms, which had always been a source of inspiration and strength, have been under heavy attack.
The consciousness raising music of the ‘60’s, ‘70’s and ‘80’s brought us musicians who sang of their love for Black people. Instrumental jazz provided a safe space, as we listened, to reflect and dream, to feel and plan without the imposition of someone else’s negative lyrics and messages. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes charged us to “Wake up all you children...” while Marvin Gaye implored us to ask, “What’s going on?” While nurturing and/or thought-provoking compositions are still being created, some of the more recent music- over the past 30+ years- has been moving us onto a destructive path. Since antiquity, our art forms have been channels through which we could tap into the seemingly unreachable realms of consciousness that would open our “Third Eye,” i.e., The Eye of Horus, allowing us to connect with The Divine. I agree with Sister Asantewaa Oppong Wadie, who commented in a previous H3O Blog that, “Our music has been demonized.”
Initially, it was demonized in the sense that, by its very nature- its distinct uniqueness- the impression was projected that it was something debased- something to fear and to be ashamed of. The same was true with traditional West African religious practices that were “foreign,” i.e., not understood by those in power. What was “not understood” could not be controlled and was, therefore, demonized, invalidated or forbidden altogether. When it became clear that these forms of expression and practice empowered us, it evoked fear in the colonial invaders- the kind that would often provoke violence and death. But Black people have been pretty amazing.
Christian religious groups didn’t allow us to have inclusive seating in their churches- and even though their carefully selected scriptures taught that “our place” was to be “slaves” to them as our “masters.” These “Christians” would gather after church for “picnics”( pick a n- word) with gingham table cloths, fried chicken, potato salad, and fiddle playing while “strange fruit” hung from the poplar trees. Yet, somehow, our ancestors, having been largely deprived of their own rituals, found a way to infuse something to hold on to in this new religion. Somehow; over the years, many were able to bypass the destructive intentions of those who had imposed this new religion upon them. They were able to move directly towards the essence of what it had to offer. It became a lifeline and many still cling to it today. We are an amazing people.
Mama Edie McLoud Armstrong
Recommended Reading:
Rev. Dr. D. Darrell Griffin. The Defining Moment: Rev. Dr.Howard W.Thurman Parts 1-4
Recommended Viewing:
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