There are those who will not know his name nor will they have read his published offerings, but for 42 years Donald Lee has been immersed in his transformation into Haki Mahdubuti. He is at the helm of the longest running, most established and most outstanding African American publishing house in the United States. Third World Press holds a revered and enviable collection of the works of Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Why would such a poet who could have taken her eloquent writings anywhere, trust her intellectual property to Third World Press? Why would she entrust the then-fledgling publisher with her brain trust, her artistic capital and her mentorship of the young? The answer lies in the notion of a sanctuary for the written word for and from African Americans, and a safe house of sorts for the written works of African Americans in the ‘60s — an era fraught with racial strife. Madhubuti credits the distinguished author Richard Wright with transforming his life and planting the ideological seeds that bloomed the Third World Press.
The Destruction of Black Civilization, by Chancellor Williams, whose second edition was published by Madhubuti in 1987, is one of enormous importance in understanding African American heritage — the creativity of the culture and the resiliency of the civilization through to the present day. But non-readers instead continue to walk through this life slave-shocked, uneducated and misinformed, lacking the ability to appreciate the dignity of our destiny, our legacy and our ancestry.
Tavis Smiley, who writes about a covenant with the African American community; and Walter Mosley, whose books have been made into movies for the silver screen, have entrusted their precious pearls of wisdom to the Third World Press. Roland Martin, too, has entrusted himself, his image and his brand to this repository for thought and contemplation. The intellectual capital of our community is preserved in the sanctity of the Third World Press Publishing House for the perpetual generation of thought and ideas. Madhubuti’s legacy is his stewardship and trusted leadership. He has established charter schools to educate and move our children beyond the bills of bigotry and inferiority that have been sold to them. He and his family work zealously to develop their genius from preschool to high school. These schools give rise to young kings and queens who will emulate the likes of a Betty Shabazz and other prominent and noble ancestors. The Third World Press under Madhubuti’s direction galvanizes the reality of black intellect and cultural accomplishment.
But who among us has purchased and read those great books that introduce us to those that have the same appreciation for the curl in our hair, the melanin in our skin and with the same lion-like roar and courage in our hearts. They connect us with others who wear similar broad smiles extending across their faces and who move with the grace of a gazelle like movement in your reach for the dreams unseen.
The Third World Press continues to grow its African American base as it touches the souls of African Americans and energizes us for intellectual growth. I had the pleasure of spending time with Haki Madhubuti. The art on the walls of his sanctuary spoke to me from the portraits and words of Malcolm X, W.E.B. DuBois, Paul Robeson and Sonia Sanchez. Here is the folklore of those who dare to express their commitment to the race and express what it means to be divinely inspired and to transcribe words for a generation that is thirsting for education and enlightenment. This is the value of the Third World Press.
Press on Third World Press. Press on Haki Madhubuti. Press on those who dare to publish at Third World Press. Press on, so that we can come to understand those pressing issues we need to explore and resolve in this crooked and devious world.
