BLACK BOOK AWARD GIVEN IN NAME OF
YAHYA ABDUL KARIM
By The
Brother Yahya will not be there but his spirit surely will. He was
especially adept at recognizing, helping and encouraging new writers. Now that
gift will continue to be shared. The Black Book Award for The Best New Book of
the Year will be awarded in his memory. This Black Book Award will be renamed
The Yahya Abdul Karim Best New Book of the year in which it is presented.
BLACK LITERARY WEEKEND: FIRST WEEKEND IN JUNE
Black Book Awards are presented to Black Writers during Black Literary Weekend. Yahya was married to Sister Linda Richardson [her professional name]. And it is Sister Linda who will be asked to present this award to the recipient in 2009. Yahya was a legend in his own time. “I am older than Brother Yahya, but he is my role model in publishing.” Said the Founder and General Manager of the Black Book Awards, Publisher H. Khalif Khalifah, at introductions of Yahya.
Khalifah is instrumental in bringing into print more than 600 different titles over a 35 year over 35 and counting, career. Before Khalifah published his first book, Yahya’s “Afrikan Name Book,” and several others that was published by AFRAM PRESS, Yahya’s company, was already in print.
A SERIOUS AND PROMOTION
IN A FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE
The Black Book Awards evolved out of “The Harlem Literary Arts Festival” in 1977 and 1978. Two events Founded and sponsored by UBUS [United Brothers Communications Systems]. Legends John H. Clarke,Queen Mother Moore, Ben Jochannan, Preston Wilcox, Reda Faard Khalifah & Amos Wilson, Ali Rashed, Simon Bly Jr. and Poet Rich Bartee, were among those “attended and participated,” in the historic conferences. Never before had anyone ‘celebrated’ the work of “Self Published Writers” on such a high level. Indeed, at that time, if you were “self published,” your work was stigmatized, marginzed – and no bookstore or distributor would carry your book for sale in their establishments.
With the founding of UBUS Communications Systems, Khalifah “flag ship” organization, he led a direct attack against this stigma. When researched, it turned out that discrediting of books that were “self published” was done by traditional publishers. Traditional publishers are white, or Caucasian publishers. Established to serve white writers, exclusively, black writers not only saw African history abused, misused and distorted, it was IMPOSSIBILE to get Traditional publishers to published their work with truthful accounts. UBUS have worked long and relentlessly to overcome this debiliting, devastating situation.
“It became habitual with me; when I experience something in the
liberation struggle of African people that is out of order; or know SOMETHING
should be where there is NOTHING, I work to rectify the situation as if no one
else is doing the job.” Said Khalifah, in an interview in at his home, at the
birthplace of Nat Turner in
Khalifah says he did not come to his methodology in the beginning: “ When
I first enjoined the Struggle, I looked to help somebody who was already doing
the job,” not finding them, he went to work. Then at Our Families Protection
Association Street Barzaar in 1981, Khalifah met Yahya Abdul Karim. And as they
say in
The 18th presentation of Black Book Awards will be on June 5, 6 & 7. All who commit and participate will receive Black Book Award Citations and automatically be nominees to win Black Book Award in several categories categories. Please go to www.blackbooksaward.com or call (704) 277-1462