African American students attending HBCUs must reconnect with Liberia.

The Pan-African community; not people, our community is a World.

The potential that Liberia possesses to develop into one of Africa's finest nations is great. Of course, such a great undertaking is only possible with the influx of capital. There are so many different ways this can be accomplished. This entry encompasses one such possibility.

African Americans who attend the many historically black colleges and universities enthusiastically look forward to " spring break " each year. A destination is chosen, and huge numbers of students converge upon an area to relax and have fun. Of course, these tourist destinations enjoy the influx of money that students inject into the local economy. During the 1990s, " freaknik " ( held in Atlanta, GA ) was like a " African American Mecca. " Black biker week ( formerly held in Myrtle Beach, SC ) is another great example.

How is this related to the influx of money into Liberian banks ? Well, there is no shortage of places in the United States that thrive off of tourism money. Additionally, students at historically black colleges and universities in the United States would find their connections to Liberian history fascinating. Therefore, if a tourist destination made accommodations for Liberian musicians and performers, and Afrocentric festival could easily be marketed towards a target market within the aforementioned colleges and universities.

Sixty-dollar bus tickets enabled one-million men to attend the " Million Man March " on October 16, 1995 on the Washington, DC mall. If as few as one-thousand black students attending HBCUs spent spring break at a gathering touted as a " Liberian festival ", and tickets were sold for one-hundred dollars each ( much more is spent now ), a total of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars would be netted. It would only take one-hundred students from ten HBCUs to meet such a quota. Needless to say, many more than one-thousand students would attend such an event. OF COURSE, TRANSPARENCY AND OVERSIGHT WOULD BE CRUCIAL IN THE HANDLING OF MONEY.

If as little as ten percent were set aside for a " Liberia fund ", that could be ten-thousand dollars that could be designated for a Liberian bank. Plenty of money would be left over to pay the bands and entertainers. ( Note: I just used ten percent as an example. I think that more than this percentage could be bargained for ).

This would provide a much needed influx of money into Liberian banks each year. Money would accumulate within the Liberian economy. The money could be used by Liberians to help rebuild infrastructure, make clothing, be trained as nurses, etc., etc. ADDITIONALLY, MUCH NEEDED TECHNICAL SCHOOLS COULD BE INEXPENSIVELY CONSTRUCTED IN THE WAY THAT MODULAR HOMES ARE CONSTRUCTED.

Just as important would be the transfer of information regarding ANYTHING that Liberians would be trained to do. Once a person helps complete a project, they should be considered apprentices that train other Liberian workers in the future. Additionally, students in Liberia could received academic credits by partaking in reconstruction efforts ongoing within the country. In this way, information would be locked into the minds of Liberians, and the need for outside help to rebuild and maintain a high standard of living would come from within. The current work being done by NGOs is great. However, being a part of an NGO means little if the residents of the country don't control it.

Once again, this is just another shell of an idea that I believe could be prosperous towards efforts to build great countries across the African Continent.

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