Relevance of Indian CItizenship Decoded

 As COVID-19 invaded India, the entire media coverage was diverted towards the horror of the pandemic. In the midst of global tragedy, the agricultural reforms act came into effect. The debate hungry populace embarrass the left, the right and the centre of the new law. It appeared that 2019 amendments of the CItizenship Act, 1955 was just passé. 

However, citizenship of India will remain a matter of concern for all the citizens till India stands as a sovereign nation. Therefore, debate over the latest amendments of the Citizenship Act, 1955 is still pertinent to the nation.

This argument can be substantiated in the latest outbursts of protests against CAA in Assam. Current debate is about breach of Assam Accord by CAA, 2019.

Assam Accord is Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 as amended in 1985 [by Act 65 of 1985, s.2, with effect from December 7, 1985].

It has three landmark years in its definitions of different sections. These are 1964, 1966 and 1971. 

What does each of these years mean?

1964 is the year of the Constituting Foreigners’ Tribunal. It was the first step towards separating illegal immigrants in the entire territory of India. 

1966 is important year because January 1, 1966 was marked as the starting date for persons entering Assam from [specified territory]* whose name was to be deleted from subsequent electoral rolls (voters’ list) as mentioned in Subsection (3) of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955 as amended.

1971 is important as Midnight of March 24, 1971 was marked to be the end date of entry of persons from [specified territory]* whose name was to be deleted from subsequent electoral rolls (voters’ list) as referred in preceding paragraph.

* As mentioned in Assam Accord, [specified territory] is probably the areas belonging to Pakistan till 1971 and then to Bangladesh. This has not been explained in the Citizenship Act, 1955 as amended till now.

As soon as, a person is detected to be a foreigner by definition of entry to India from [specified territory]* between January 1, 1966 and March 25, 1971 such a person would be removed from the electoral roll though such person can keep their Indian passport.

Moreover, March 25, 1971 is the latest date of publication of the electoral roll to be compiled into the Legacy Data prepared for the National Register of Citizens in Assam. 

This appears to be discordant with the Assam Accord. Assam Accord declined to include people in electoral rolls who entered from the [specified territory]* into India in between January 1, 1966 and March 25, 1971 as soon as these people are identified to be foreigners with Indian Passport. Moreover, the Assam Accord attempted to put an embargo of ten years on these people becoming citizens and subsequently voters in India.

Preparation of Legacy data with electoral rolls published before March 25, 1971 was governed by the RULE 4A & SCHEDULE OF CITIZENSHIP RULES 2003 (As amended by 1. G. S. R. 803(E), dated 9th November, 2009 (with effect from 9/11/2009.) This rule unambiguously declared to exclude all persons identified to be foreigners by provisions of Assam Accord to be excluded from the Legacy Data [Rule 3(2) under Schedule supporting Rule 4A of Citizenship Rule laying out SPECIAL PROVISION AS TO MANNER OF PREPARATION OF NATIONAL REGISTER OF INDIAN CITIZEN IN STATE OF ASSAM]. Thus, the process theoretically resolved the conflict of point of references of definition of citizens on the basis of electoral rolls of 1951 and three subsequent electoral rolls published until March 24, 1971.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 has marked December 31, 2014 to be the last date of entry to India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh for people belonging to defined religious groups to be considered for Indian Citizenship. The matter being sub-judice the framing of rules regarding this proviso of the amendment is still pending. Unless the rules, which are the executing procedure of the act,  under this proviso takes forms and shapes, it cannot be said if this proviso is in discordance with the Assam Accord.

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Looking for more resolves on the disputes over the Citizenship Act, 1955 and its amendments until now? Then, get your facts straight with “Indian Citizenship Decoded”.

Now available in Amazon and Amazon Kindle Store for prebooking all across the globe through designated market places at https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09875SJF8 

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The paperback is available now in selected marketplaces from all over the globe through https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098GTZYKK 

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More about the book:

Why #IndianCitizenshipDecoded

More about Why  #IndianCitizenshipDecoded

Prebooking #IndianCitizenshipDecoded in Different  Marketplaces

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In my previous blog I have elaborated the content of the book [here]. Hope, you have found the content useful. 

The content can be pretty useful for persons who are appearing in competitive exams for public services in India.

It can be useful to students abroad who need to maintain their Indian Citizenship.

It can also be useful for people who are treading in between Indian citizenship and citizenship of another country and vice versa.

It can also be useful for the people who are sceptical about the National Citizenship Register and how NRC would affect them.

Moreover, it can be useful to everyone who is curious about the true nature of the Citizenship (Amendement) Act, 2019 and the nature of controversy around it.

In an ambition to be more useful I am sharing herewith the details of having the book.

It is available in both Kindle format and Paperback.

The paperback is already available for purchase in nine (9) marketplaces. It can be accessed by this link from anywhere on the earth. It would be better while ordering a paperback to log in to the nearest geographic Amazon Marketplace.

If anyone is trying to purchase Indian Citizenship Decoded from Pakistan or Bangladesh, it would be better if they buy it from amazon.in.

If anyone is buying the book from South Korea, it will be better if they access amazon.jp.

For people in Newzealand the nearest Amazon marketplace is amazon.au.

Nearest marketplace for Finland is amazon.de.

Then there is amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.es and so on as detailed below:

The United States (amazon.com),

The United Kingdom (amazon.co.uk), 

Denmark (amazon.de), 

France (amazon.fr),.

 España [Spain] (amazon.es),

Italy (amazon.it),

Japan (amazon.co.jp),

Canada (amazon.ca),

Australia(amazon.com.au)

August 15 is the Independence Day of India. The book is about to be released on Kindle is about citizenship of India. For dramatic effect, the release date of the book, “Indian CItizenship Decoded” has been set on August 1, 2021, the onset of the month of Independence.

The Kindle edition will be available in more marketplaces than the paperback. Also, the marketplace does not matter as long as purchasers can access any of the marketplace domain name (.com, .in, .co.uk et cetera) from purchasers’ geography while buying digital copy. However, if anyone finds any obstacle in accessing any domain, they can try the nearest geographic market place. The domains and geographies are as follows:

amazon.com > the United States

amazon.co.uk> the United Kingdom

amazon.de>  Denmark

amazon.fr> France

amazon.es>España (Spain)

amazon.it>Italy

amazon.nl> Netherland

amazon.co.jp>Japan

amazon.com.br>Brazil

amazon.ca>Canada

amazon.com.mx>Mexico

amazon.com.au>Australia

amazon.in> India

About Prebooking/Purchasing/ Free Download

Prebooking means if a purchaser pays for the book on Kindle Store anytime before August 1, 2021 then the book will be downloaded to the purchaser's device on August 1, 2021.

Purchasing means paying for the book as online shopper. It would enable the shoppers to read the book on their devices.

Free Download mean by clicking buy button the shoppers can download the book free of cost on their respective devices.

The devices can be a Kindle reader or an iPhone/ iPad with Kindle App or an android phone/table with Kindle App. Also, can be a desktop/laptop computer where browser is the reader.

For downloading Kindle App the purchaser should go to - 

Google play store for android phone/ tablet; then search by typing “Kindle”, then press/touch “Install”

Or, to the Apple store for iPhone/iPad; then search by typing “Kindle”, then press/touch “get”.

Those who just downloaded the Kindle App and those who already had the app now can open the App, then type in “Indian Citizenship Decoded” on the search bar and search for “Indian Citizenship Decoded”; as the book appears you can try any one of the buttons, “Prebook” (Till July 31, 2021), “buy” or “borrow” (since August 1, 2021). 

Following are the links to videos for finding “Indian Citizenship Decoded” on Kindle Store and Reader (App).

Downloading Kindle on Android phone/ tablet for #Indian #Citizenship Decoded

Downloading Kindle on iPhone/ iPad for Indian Citizenship Decoded

Downloading Indian Citizenship Decoded on Kindle App

Prebooking of Indian Citizenship Decoded

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More about the book will appear in subsequent posts. 

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The Kindle Edition of Indian Citizenship Decoded is now available in Amazon and Amazon Kindle Store for prebooking all across the globe through designated market palces at https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Citizenship-Decoded-Emotional-Predilections-ebook/dp/B09875SJF8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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The paperback is available now in selected marketplaces from all over the globe through https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098GTZYKK?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

More about Why #IndianCitizenshipDecoded

 I have so far divulged [Live in this link] that Indian Citizenship Decoded/ Beyond Emotional Outbursts and Political Predilections have come into existence from an urge to know the definition of citizenship in India. With then ensuing controversy over the recent amendments of the Citizenship Act, 1955, curiosity also dragged the search to find the root of the controversy. Thus, the book is full of details about the controversy regarding the controversy.

In my previous post about the book [linked here], I have shed light on how I have approached the bare acts. The approach has been the same in discussing the stance of the Constitution of India on the matters of citizenship.

The book opens with the perception of citizenship in the Constitution of India. Then it goes through the nitty gritties of the Citizenship Act, 1955. The chapter has highlighted all the amendments made by the Citizenship (Amendment), 2019 with the Act of 1955. This has been the blatant attempt to understand the seed of the controversy.

As an obvious outcome, the book has gone through understanding the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. It made clear that the processes followed in preparation of the National Register of the Citizens in Assam was execution of the aforementioned rule.

Therefore, the step by step process of NRC has been noted in the book. The forms used, the enumerations in the forms - all were discussed with reference to the aforementioned rules. 

Finally, the book took on the controversy. Sifting through the cacophony, the debate over the legitimacy of the amendments of 2019 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 were narrowed down only to two questions. Those two questions have been discussed with references to the Constitution of India, verdicts by the Honorable Supreme Court of India, some research papers, some reports by the foreign governments and by the United Nations and some international Non-governmental organizations.

Yet the book abstained from putting forward its own opinion.

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More about the book will appear in subsequent posts. 

SUBSCRIBE to keep watch.

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The Kindle Edition is now available in Amazon and Amazon Kindle Store for prebooking all across the globe through designated market palces at https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Citizenship-Decoded-Emotional-Predilections-ebook/dp/B09875SJF8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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The paperback is available now in selected marketplaces from all over the globe through https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098GTZYKK?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Little Abode for Children

Kenosha lies calm by the western shore of Lake Michigan. Yet Teressa LeRoy, one of the city denizens, went missing. Then one afternoon, the gown she last wore before going missing, appeared at her workplace, Kenosha Public Library. Some of the children saw a ghost in the library. A mangled body appeared in the library park. The mystery and horror deepened.
The question was how soon Kenosha Police Department could unveil the mystery and eradicate the horror from the lives of the city.
Little Abode for Children is an outstandingly humane mystery and extraordinarily romantic police procedural.
It made readers wonder, “Where is Teressa LeRoy? Can Detective Nathan Adams can find her?”

Read it on Amazon Kindle: (FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED SUBSCRIPTION)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HSQYBN2

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Why #IndianCitizenshipDecoded

 

It was January 2020. Conventional Media was gushing out debates on the legitimacy of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Social media was abuzz with protests against allegedly communal, unequal and, hence, illegal amendments of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

The name of the law appeared cumbersome to the tongue. It shrunk and evolved to CAA.

The Kolkata book fair was noisy with “CAA CAA CAA Chih Chih Chih” (Ka Ka Ka Shame Shame Shame) shouts. The literary environment was polluted with political propaganda “Kagoj Dekhabo Na” (Won’t Show Any Paper).

It was fun to absorb the conundrum being at the core of it. 

But it was shortened.

Shri Rajarshi Chattopadhyay, Editor, Nayadashak (Webmag), asked me to write about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

I started digging. I failed to produce a relevant write-up for Nayadashak. Instead, my notes started taking the form of a book.

I was conscious that the debates over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 were (are) still subjudice before the Honourable Supreme Court. Hence, my writings must not cross the boundaries of impartial observations. The author must not cross the limits of an ordinary citizen by drawing inferences based on historic references.

Yet I have tried to highlight the facts that are never pointed out overtly in myriad politically colorful cacophony. Because, twenty years ago when the media was abuzz with pre-56 status of Kashmir, there was no clear definition of the status in the media. Nor was it explicitly mentioned in the polity textbooks. But analytical reads of those books revealed that 1956 was a waterparting in the history of Independent India with respect to accession of Kashmir to India. In “Indian Citizenship Decoded/ Beyond Emotional Outbursts and Political Predilections”, I tried to eradicate the confusion created by implicit narrations and ambiguous explanations. 

In this book I have literally decoded the code (law) of Indian citizenship by dismantling articles/ sections, subsections, clauses, subclauses into conditional statements. Bare Acts are prosaic reads. They appear cryptic, too. I have tried to untangle the statements of the acts through nested/ cascaded conditional statements that were condensed inside the statements of bare acts.

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More about the book will appear in subsequent posts. 

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The Kindle Edition is now available in Amazon and Amazon Kindle Store for PREBOOKING & WILL BE AVAILBLE FOR DOWNLOAD SINCE AUGUST 1, 2021 all across the globe through designated marketplaces at https://www.amazon.com/Indian-Citizenship-Decoded-Emotional-Predilections-ebook/dp/B09875SJF8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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The paperback is available now in selected marketplaces from all over the globe through https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098GTZYKK?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Swept Away #TheGreatWave @WEP

The Great Wave of the Coast of Kanagua

by  Katsushika Hokusai

Warning!

This is not a winning entry to the challenge. Reasons are several:

1. The author of the story does not belong to marginalized groups recognized by Associated Press and its affiliates, followers.

2. The author refuses to be victimized.

3. The author does not belong to any winning races or the races preferred to the winning races for further wining or the nexus between the two.

4. The author disavows ongoing race and gender politics and ECONOMICS of it.

5. The author is not a faminazi. Her female characters are never frail victims. They are all crafty, having their respective ways in good, bad and ugly manners, knowing, “Nice gals never get their ways’. They do not blame misogyny, patriarchy, systematic systemic oppressions, institutional injustice, lack of equality and equity and other ways to ignore individual responsibility.

6. The author does not hold the above criteria with greater importance than research and study (sometimes spanning over decades), plotting, narration, choice of words and other literary crafts for creating her fictions.

7. The author does not care much about winning any challenge, especially subjective ones like literary or artistic challenges, though the author appreciates critique. Because, the author could barely understand that the existence is transient. 

Hence, Have Fun.

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I have first seen the painting, "The Great Wave of the Coast of Kanagua" by  Katsushika Hokusai, shared along with the prompt of June 2021 by WEP, “The Great Wave”, in my undergraduate Physical Geology text book of my Geology (Major) curriculum. It was associated with the lessons on Tsunami. 

Later as a postgraduate student of Disaster Mitigation, I learnt a story about disaster preparedness and mitigation in the time of Tsunami. I am sharing the story next.

The Japanese Old Man Who Saved the Village by Burning the Harvest

In  a Japanese villages, the villagers used to lay their crops on the hillock for drying. An old man of the village used to be in charge of safekeeping of the crops on the hill, while other villagers used to be busy in preparing themselves for upcoming harvest and crop seasons.

One afternoon the old man on the hillock, while taking care of the harvest thereof, saw that the ocean was receding. Wasting no time, he started a fire on the hillock peak. Seeing the fumes, the villagers from all directions rushed to douse the fire and save their harvest. As soon as the entire village climbed the hillock a tsunami smashed on the village, drowned it and washed it away to the ocean.

The villagers were alive on the hillock. They rebuilt the village. Part of the harvests, too, were saved.

All of it was possible, because of the old man’s experience of receding ocean. The lives saved by the old man at the cost of a little of the harvest, brought many prosperous years to the village. The village remembered the old man’s presence of mind.

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Next is my story on the prompt “The Great Wave”.

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Swept Away

In our archipelago, Ignatio, in North to South lying four Eastern islands, people were purple during the day and red during the night. They were called Ds. In the nine islands, from North to South, along  Western flank, people were pink during the day and silver during the night. They were Cs. In between these islands were eight islands populated with people who were always grey and called Gs.

Scientists from continents collected DNA samples from the entire archipelago and analyzed. Later, they reported that Ds people had different ions in analogous positions of their DNA compared to Gs and Cs. These ions belonged to a continent afar suggesting a continental drift during geological past.

In Cs DNA those ions were substituted by the ions of similar sizes found commonly in the minerals of Western boundary of Ignatio. In Gs, those ions were absent.

Years ago, Ignatio believed that the mixing between Ds and Cs created Gs. This notion was proven wrong by the anthropologists studying birth records of people born out of the union of Ds and Cs. The offspring of mingling of Ds, Cs and Gs were either like Ds, Cs, Gs or peculiar.

Some peculiar, called Ts, used to exude pink in day and red in night. Zs used to radiate purple in day and silver in night. Some used to have no change of color but remained always mauve or teal or saffron. Others emanated green in day and yellow in night. Initially, they were grouped respectively as Ps, Bs, Es and Vs. 

With passing generations, as more variations of colors cropped out by random union of all groups, it was difficult to mark them with letters of the alphabet. Hence, they all were grouped together as Qs.

Ignatio’s human history comprised lots of political fancy and bureaucratic whim over bestowing privileges to the people of different colors. Ds was the most populated and the poorest. They had the lowest per capita wealth. Cs were the richest people. They were the meanest, too, according to Gs. Because Cs always favored the Ds. Citing poverty, population size and their colors, Ds were given opportunities which were not available for Gs and some of which were available to Qs.

Obviously, Some Ds were among the richest people in the world. Some Cs were found begging on the streets of Ignatio. Gs were hard working farmers, builders, grocers, manufacturers, distributors of products and major service providers. Their businesses largely depended on bulk investment by Cs, rarely by Ds and Gs too.

In the entire archipelago there was always hostility towards Cs. They were often attacked and hacked to death by gangs of Qs, Ds and Gs. Those killings usually revealed that the killed Cs was a thief or counterfeiter of currencies. Mob violence in our archipelago had always been justified.

Properties belonging to all people were targeted and destroyed, in the name destroying Cs who reportedly profited by enslaving Ds, Gs and Qs, hence, must be avenged. Though it was always kept under the rug that Ds kept on enslaving Gs, Cs, Qs and Ds until now. 

I was studying our geologic past. I did not learn much, but got an idea that this archipelago and the whole Earth has never been static. These were always changing, not only in terms of people and power, riches and destitution, but also, with respect to mountains and oceans.

Occasional tremor in Ignatio taught us that all these islands were borne of igneous activities of Earth. Then, continental people published that the tremor patterns of Ds were different compared to the rest of Ignatio. It was established knowledge that mineral chemistry of Ds were different compared to the rest of Ignatio. Intrigued by these facts, my research guide suggested a study along Western shore of Ds. 

Our study revealed that Ds were separated from the rest of Ignatio by an unfathomable trench. Probably, the oceanic plate beneath Ds was sliding beneath one lighter plate to its West and melted in Earth’s mantle, consequently, oozing out on Western oceanic plate the rest of Ignatio.

The anthropologists taking cue from our studies started trying to prove that the Ds were the most ancient people on Ignatio. Some political groups started voicing for more privileges for this most ancient population on Ignatio.

Once, the never ending tremors beneath my feet, for over a month, told me that some devastating changes could be on the way. Either the Ds will cease to exist and will be drowned beneath the rest of Ignatio, into the Earth’s mantle. Or, the entire archipelago would cease to exist, probably by being blown to pieces by a huge igneous explosion, with ashes, bombs and other rock fragments of the explosion completely covering Ds.

Anyway, we needed evacuation to continents. Richest ones fled by private aircrafts. Some rented airplanes. Those who depended on the Government were boarded on a ship along with convicts and patients of mental asylums. Doctors and health workers had separate flights. So patients on the ships remained unattended. Law enforcement officials were evacuating people. So there were no guards to control the convicts. 

From my research copter, one morning, I saw that the ocean was receding East of Ds. I alerted the control copter for final evacuation. They remotely turn on a siren to alert if anyone still remaining in Ignatio. My thermal images pointed out many people in the Ds, a few in the Cs and some in the Gs. I informed their locations to rescue copters. Those people were identified to be convicts scavenging on assets and fighting among themselves over the shares.

Before all of them could be rescued, most of Ds was submerged under a giant wave as high as hundred and twenty feet. Half of Gs  was flooded. Cs suffered some damages.

The ship returned. 

When half a decade later the entire archipelago burst into an igneous heap, people of Ignatio got the colors of continents along with its history, culture and politics. 

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Word Count: 1000 (one thousand) Words

Looking forward to vehement and very severe Critique.

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Woke #FreedomMorning @WEP

Commemorating lives and times of Elizabeth Keckley, Frederick Douglas, Horace King, John Sella Martin, Henry Garnet and comparing that with ours.

From, "Behind the Scene or Thirty Years of  

Slave, and Four Years in the White House" by Elizabeth Keckley 

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Woke

“Hey!”, Lizzie's ghost yelled at Okoro.

Before the ghostly shriek could touch Okoro’s eardrum, his hands threw a Molotov cocktail to the dress shop across the street.

Lizzie's ghost loved the shop. Tamara built it at the intersection of North Second Street and Lucas Avenue. Tamara even named it “First Lady Lincoln’s Choice”. Thus, she paid homage to the legacy of her great grandmother, Prissy.

Lizzie herself taught Prissy, a slave girl then, her cutting and fitting techniques, which were later adored by the First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Then Lizzie used to live in Saint Louis Missouri, married to James, suffocated by his abuses, excesses and lies.

Prissy passed her learnings to her daughter and granddaughters. Tamara has learned from her grandmother, Josephine, Prissy’s great granddaughter. Tamara’s exceptional sartorial skill fused with her intelligent business moves reminded Lizzie of herself.

Tamara’s burning store gave Lizzie’s ghost the feeling of bleeding welts she got from flogging by Mr. Bingham. Cost of the burned asset might be recovered from insurance but would miniscule fragments of moments of Tamara’s enthusiasm constituting conspicuous countable years into this business be recovered?

Lizzie’s ghost mustered some dust, took form of an oldie, appeared in front of Okoro before he threw another bomb. Okoro failed to shove her off. He groaned in anger.

Lizzie’s ghost asked, “Why are you after this shop?”

Okoro replied, “They’ve fired my friend Keira …”

Lizzie’s ghost expressed concern, “What did she do?”

Okoro explained, “She took money from the register, picked up a dress and a bonnet; she’s working towards repaying; but they’re so impatient! The owners drive fancy cars, they’re wealthy; they could’ve waived Keira’s a few borrowings in a year. That’s how the rich become richer, depriving the poor; this country and its capitalism - Urgh!”

Lizzie’s ghost asked, “Do you understand that Keira not only borrowed from the store owner but also from her poor colleagues? If the owner loses money for Keira's and other employees’ borrowings then they might have to close the store; then there wouldn’t be any employment for Keira and her ilk.”

Then the ghost added, “This country and its capitalism let slaves like Horace King and me buy our freedom, became respectively representative to the State Assembly and Modiste and Confidante to the First Lady. Even before being manumitted, Horace was so influential because of his building skills that the State of Alabama, later a confederate state in deep south, amended  laws, much before the Proclamation of Emancipation, so that Horace could stay in Alabama and build. Don’t they teach these in schools?”

Okoro stalled her, “Don’ know. (I) haven’t been to school here. But traditionally people in this country are racist. White cops kill black people. White folks crave here to enslave the others.”

Lizzie's ghost cast a mirage depicting Horace King, erstwhile slave, whipping John Sella Martin, his slave then, though both had African ancestors. She narrated how Martin endured and escaped slavery and became an abolitionist preacher.

Okoro shrugged, “They’re born here. They never felt estrangement, like me, from mother, five younger siblings flying thousands of miles away from Nigeria.”

Lizzie's ghost quipped “My friend Henry's grandfather was enslaved in Africa itself, by losing a war to another African tribe and, was, later, sold to the Europeans by that tribe.”

She paused for few moments and added, “There's famous Sengbe Pieh, also known as Joseph Cinque, member of Mende People of today's Sierra Leone. Both Henry's grandfather and Cinque were enslaved before being transported as cargo, in brig of ship to the United States, unlike your travel by airplane. They're estranged, too.”

She continued, “My friend Frederick Douglas was separated from his mother by their owner …"

Okoro grew impatient and reflected his grudge further, “They weren’t betrayed by their own father. My father left my mother and us. Until my maternal uncle prodded and goaded me to come here on a diversity visa, I didn’t know that my father could've sponsored our visas! But he never intended.”

Lizzie’s ghost tried to appease Okoro, "So what? I's born slave in this country; my own father, a free White man, made me his slave by some 1662 Virginia law. I didn't give in to feelings of betrayal, bitterness. Instead, I built my life, helped numerous others build their respective lives ...”

Okoro protested, “How can I build life here? Everywhere they ask for racial identity, generously called Affirmative action, basically identifying people by their skin tone or DNA make-up … grossly racist.”

Lizzie’s ghost argued, “Everywhere people are different. Igbo dominated Biafra tried to be separate from Hausa-Fulani dominated Nigeria. Minority tribe, Ibibio doubted their stake in proposed Biafra.”

Okoro whimpered, “It’s not about demography. I hate White people. A white woman got my father after his arrival here …”

Lizzie’s ghost reasoned, “It’s personal then. You’re neither doing Keira a favor nor taking part in a social movement. Just because Associated Press sold you a narrative about victimhood of racism through a South African immigrant of mixed race, you’ve taken part in fashionable violence under peer pressure, driven by your urges of vengeance.”

The ghost continued, “My time saw that violence is White man’s way. John Brown bled Kansas, raided Harper Ferry Arsenal for slave revolution. But he was of English, Welsh and Dutch origin. White man’s newspaper publicized his actions.”

Then she added, “You might call me racist for my views on John Brown and media. Won't you?”

Wee hour’s greyness covered Okoro. He was quiet. Lizzie’s ghost begged him, “A new morning is here. Embrace it. Free yourself from anger. Stay woke.”

Then she dissolved into thin air.

Okoro ran to his uncle’s place, finished filling up and submitting his application form to Saint Louis Community College for a course on telecommunication engineering; tidied himself up, went to work in the neighborhood grocery store.

He realized, “History’s the witness of both conflicts and construction. It’s my choice to take a side and define myself.”

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Word count: 998 (nine hundred ninety-eight, with hyphenated words, without hyphenated words, 1000 [thousand]) Words.

FCA : Full Critique Acceptable

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If you are impressed by the wonderful theme and the painting associated with it then you MUST check out the initial WEP post laying out the year long challenges here.