The Year of the Poet Volume VII May 2020

ForewordRalph Bunche(b. Aug. 07 1904, d. Dec. 09 1971-------------------Ralph Bunche was a renown American political scientist and diplomat. He was Nobel Peace Prize recipient for his work in the Middle East in the late 1940's negotiating to bring peace between Egypt and Israel. In 1950 he became the first African American to be awarded the honor. Born in Detroit in 1904 and after the family relocated over the years several times they settled in Los Angeles, CA. Bunche was a excellent student and was valedictorian of his high school graduating class and his UCLA class as well. He earned a graduate scholarship to attend Harvard University and his South-Central LA community raised money to help him in that pursuit where he went on to earning a Masters and Doctorate (PHD) in Political Science. On the way to earning that he was teaching political science at Howard University a major Black school. He also published his first book World view of Race in 1936. Ralph Bunche served as chairman of Howard's Political Science Department. for more than two decades (1928 to 1950). During WW2 he was with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) the wartime intelligence service as a senior social analyst on Colonial Affairs. in 1943 he was transferred to the State Dept. He was appointed Associate Chief of the Division of Dependent Area Affairs.UNITED NATIONSRalph Bunche was with the United Nations (U.N.) 25 years. He participated in the preliminary planning for the U.N. At the San Francisco Conference of 1945. He was instrumental in the creation and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.NOBEL PEACE PRIZEIn 1947 he was involved in the negotiations to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. Eventually he became the principal negotiator and through his skillful diplomatic efforts was credited playing a major role in reaching a agreement through the 1949 Armistice Agreement. Prior to the agreement Bunche had a potter create memorial plates to be presented to each negotiator. One of them was the representative for Israel Moshe Dayan who was known to discuss issues relating to the conflict with Bunche over a game of pool. Later he approached Bunche after the agreement was reached and the plates were given to the negotiators and asked him what if the talks fell through after you had the plates made. Bunche replied " I'd have broken them over your dam heads". This accomplishment lead to Bunche being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. Ralph Bunche in addition to the Arab-Israeli conflict mediated in many others in his years as a diplomat and negotiator with the United Nations including The Congo, Yeman, Kashmir and Cyprus to name a few. CIVIL RIGHTSRalph Bunche not only played major roles in resolving international crisis but locally he played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's in the United States. He participated in the March on Washington in 1963 when Rev, Martin Luther King gave his famous 'I have a Dream ' speech and the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. Ralph Bunche received the coveted Presidential Medal of freedom from President John Kennedy in 1963. His amazing work during the 25 years with the U.N. was encapsulated in the United Nations document, Ralph Bunche: Visionary for Peace."He championed the principle of equal rights for everyone, regardless of race or creed. He believed in 'the essential goodness of all people, and that no problem in human relations is insoluble.' Through the UN Trusteeship Council, Bunche readied the international stage for a period of rapid transformation, dismantling the old colonial systems in Africa and Asia, and guiding scores of emerging nations through the transition to independence in the post-war era ". Shareef Abdur-Rasheed AKA Zakir Flo, Poetry Posse, ICPI