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Honorable
Balozi R.M.Z. Harvey
Balozi R.M.Z. Harvey
Executive Director of Harlem Third World Trade Center
Executive Director of Essex County Economic Development and Affirmative Action
In office
1967–2016
Personal details
Born
Robert Alexander Harvey

(1940-01-26)January 26, 1940
East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 2016(2016-12-28) (aged 76)
East Hanover, New Jersey, U.S.
Spouse
Karimu F. Hill Harvey
​
​
(m. 1979⁠–⁠2016)​
Children
  • Angela Harvey
  • Karen Harvey
  • Zayd Harvey Jenkins
  • Quami Harvey Cook
  • Nurisha A. Harvey
  • Mwalimu S. Harvey
Parents
  • Clifton Harvey
  • Willie Belle Harvey
Relatives
  • Nazareth Harvey Nonez (sister)
  • Josephine Harvey Lee (sister)
Alma materI East Orange High School

I Seton Hall University (BA)

I United Nations International School
Occupation
Diplomat

"Balozi" Robert Zayd Muhammad Harvey (January 26, 1940 – December 28, 2016) was an American diplomat,[1] community organizer, activist and executive director, based in New Jersey and New York. Balozi worked both domestically and internationally. Harvey was given the title "Balozi" ('ambassador' or 'statesmen' in Swahili)[2] by former President of Tanzania Julius K. Nyerere in 1964.[3]

Early life, family, and education

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Balozi in his United States Air Force uniform

Robert Alexander Harvey was born in East Orange, New Jersey, on January 26, 1940, to Clifton Harvey and Willie Bell Harvey, who raised their son Catholic.[4] His father was a cook for Marcus Garvey and an activist in the Pan-African Movement.[3] He graduated from East Orange High School in 1957 and enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he served with the Strategic Air Command for four years before being honorably discharged in 1961.[4]

Harvey went on to study at Seton Hall University, where his major was political science.[4] After graduating college, Harvey attended the United Nations language school in New York, where he learned Swahili, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and Zulu.[5]

In 1965, Harvey converted from Christianity to Islam by joining the Nation of Islam, where he later became an advocate for the holiday Kwanzaa.[6] He married Karimu F. Hill in 1979, who served as the Judge of the Municipal Court of East Orange.[7] Since 1982, Harvey has resided in South Orange, New Jersey, United States.[1] He had six children and five grandchildren.[4][8]

Activism and diplomacy

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Balozi standing with the African-American activist and politician, Jesse Jackson
Balozi Harvey standing with activist and politician Jesse Jackson

Black movement

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In 1961, the same year as his discharge, Harvey involved himself with the Black Power Movement.[1] He said that he helped other people of African descent to "locate their Blackness through feelings of exile and against the backdrop of a postcolonial Africa."[9] A few years later, in 1964, Harvey returned to Africa as a personal guest of former President Julius K. "Mwalimu" Nyerere of the United Republic of Tanzania, a proponent of North-South Dialogue who named him "Balozi" (Swahili for 'ambassador' and/or 'statesman').[10]

In 1966, 18 months after his return to the United States, he served as the job recruiter for Tanzania.[4] In 1967, Balozi founded and became Chairman of the Black Community Development Organization.[11] Balozi attended the inaugural Kwanzaa celebration launched by Malanga Karenga in Los Angeles, California, in 1967.[8] Balozi participated in a 1968 rally against the proposed construction of the Route 75 highway, an eight lane highway planned to run North to South; he thought that it would have cut the Central Ward in half and displaced thousands of Black and Puerto Rican residents.[12]

As part of the Peace and Power campaign, Balozi composed one third of a triumvirate of political leaders within the Committee for a United Newark (CFUN), alongside Amiri Baraka and Mfundishi Maasi. Their campaign efforts aided in electing Kenneth A. Gibson, the first Black mayor of Newark, in 1970.[8] Harvey continued his work through the Newark mayor's office as a Special Aide in the Office of Honorary Kenneth A. Gibson, for whom he handled international relations and protocol.[13] In 1969, due to conflicts from Baraka's push for centralizing CFUN and prioritizing political education, the BCD and other groups such as the Sisters of Black Culture departed CFUN.[14]

Roles and partnerships

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Starting in 1970, Harvey would operate as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Representative to the United Nations for the Congress of Afrikan People.[1][15] Harvey would be placed in charge of CAP's International Affairs and lead the East Orange branch of CAP.[10] In 1971, Harvey traveled alongside other CAP leaders to the Miako Uhuru, the tenth celebration of Tanzania's independence. Aside from the National Council of Black Churchmen, CAP was the only other official delegation from the United States to attend the event.[16] While at the United Nations, Balozi would serve as the Impresario for the Ballet Africana, the national troupe of Guinea, at the request of the Guinean government.[4] By October of 1974, after Baraka pushed for the CAP to embrace Maoism as its core ideology, Balozi had resigned from his position as head of CAP's International Affairs, and had departed from the organization.[17]

From 1973 to 1977, Harvey headed the Drug & Alcohol Control for the city of East Orange, New Jersey, under the leadership of Mayor William S. Hart. He was then assigned as Mayoral Liaison to the UN where he worked to strengthen trade between developing nations and Newark, New Jersey. In 1978, Harvey worked as Mayoral Liaison to the Newark–Rutgers University Small Business Development Center, and he also served as the President of the Newark United Nations Association.[4]

In 1982, Harvey was appointed executive director of the HTWTI, Harlem Third World Trade Institute, upon the recommendation of US Congressman Charles B. Rangel.[4] The institute is responsible for the hosting and partnership of government officials and business leaders, and acts as the international trade and investment promotion agency for the HUDC, the Harlem Urban Development Corporation.[18][19] Harvey also acted as an investment consultant to the HUDC in New York City.[20][21] That year, he also served as a consultant to the Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.[22] During his 13 years as executive director, the Institute facilitated international transactions in excess of $30 million.[3] In addition, 47 Heads of State and Government and 400 high-level government and business leaders visited Harlem, United States, as guests. HTWTI promoted the proposed $150 million Harlem International Trade Center.[19]

In 1983, the United Nations African and Caribbean Diplomatic Corps, under the joint chairmanship of Ambassador Oumarou G. Youssoufou, Executive Secretary of the Organization of African Unity to the United Nations and Ambassador Serge Charles of Haiti, honored Balozi at a testimonial dinner.[3] A year later, he formed and became chairman of the Essex County Pan-African Cultural Society. Harvey was also elected to the Board of Directors of the New York City Partnership, Inc.[23] The Partnership was headed by David Rockefeller, Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank.

Balozi Harvey and Cheikh Mame Mor M'Backe gathered with several NJ politicians and officials.
From right to left in foreground: Balozi Harvey, former East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser; former New Jersey Representative William D. Payne; Mourid spiritual leader Cheikh Mame Mor M'Backe; and former United States Representative Donald M. Payne.

Harvey worked closely with several foreign dignitaries.[8] He was installed as King Nana Kablam I of the village of Azzuretti in the Ivory Coast, and once described it as "...perhaps the greatest highlight of my life."[3] He was appointed as Special Presidential Envoy of the Government of Liberia by President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E. Charles G. Taylor.[4] Balozi was honored at the Rites of Passage ceremony at the Alexandria Balloon Festival in Pittstown in August 1994.[24] The event was attended by about 25 chiefs from Africa and their queens.

In 1995, Balozi formed and became Chairman of Balozi & Associates (B&A), an international trade and investment consulting firm.[10][25] The firm opened offices in New York City, East Orange (New Jersey), London, Paris and Monrovia (Liberia), and developed an $800 million satellite project in Africa with client ACTEL in conjunction with Lockheed Martin.[4] He also established and became Chairman/CEO of His Majesty Traders, a business entity, and later founded and became Chairman of Human Bridges, Inc., a nonprofit charity.[10] Balozi also served as the Director of Global Mining Consultants (England) and the Director of Guardian Scientific Africa (United States) between 1998 and 2000.[4]

Between 2001 and 2002, Harvey served as Executive Vice President of Egg Solution, Inc., a European optical technology manufacturer with offices in Paris, New York, and Los Angeles.[4] A resident of Essex County, Harvey was appointed Director of OCDAA, the Office of Cultural Diversity and Affirmative Action, in 2003.[26] Through his post, he served as a member of the Essex County Disparity Study Commission and the Essex County Juvenile Justice Disparities Working Group. In 2004, Harvey was appointed as executive director of the EDC,[27][28] the Essex County Economic Development Corporation and Essex County Office of Cultural Diversity and Affirmative Action, serving in the role until 2007.[28] A year later, in January 2005, Balozi was appointed as executive director of the Essex County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) by County Executive DiVincenzo.[29]

Later years

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In May 2006, Balozi was honored as the Grand Marshall of the 40th Annual African-American Heritage New Jersey State-wide Parade.[4] Harvey retired from his diplomatic career in September 2007.[8] His "Legacy & Retirement Dinner" was held at the Sheraton Hotel at Newark Airport, New Jersey.

Mourid International Community Annual Parade, Harlem, USA
Photo taken of the Mourid International Community Annual Parade held on Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Day, held in Harlem, United States. Balozi walks at the front of the parade, dressed in black.

Harvey gave opening remarks at the 20th Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Annual Day at the United Nations Headquarters on July 28, 2008.[30] He encouraged everyone there to celebrate Ahmadou Bamba by wearing traditional African dress, something he said he began to do himself in 1987 in homage to his friend President Sankara of Burkina Faso, who was assassinated that year. He emphasized for those within the African Diaspora to wear black and green to distinguish themselves from their African brothers, who were dressed in white.[9]

In 2008, Harvey participated in the "Bridging the Gap" Symposium presented by Newark Mayor Cory A. Booker's African Commission and the African Institute of Essex County College to discuss political relationships between the people of African descent at home and abroad.[31] In 2009, he was an honorary committee member for Amiri Baraka's 75th birthday celebration, along with Maya Angelou and Danny Glover.[32]

He was a member of the Essex County Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and served as the County Executive's Municipal Liaison to the Township of Irvington, New Jersey.[33] On April 26, 2016, the NAACP Chapter of the Oranges and Maplewood awarded Harvey its Presidential Award during the Freedom Fund brunch.[34]

Religion and spirituality

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In 1965, Balozi converted to Islam from Catholicism while working with President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania in Eastern Africa.[35] He assumed the Muslim name Zayd Muhammad.

He was named the North American Representative and Spokesman for Cheikh Moutada M'Backe, spiritual leader of the Mourid Islamic Community headquartered in Touba, Senegal.[36][37] Harvey served as the President of the Mourid Islamic Community in America (MICA). In this role, his primary responsibility was to assist Murid officials in making administrative decisions.[9][38] At the time, he was reportedly the only American to head a predominantly African Sufi organization.[39] During Sheikh Mourtalla's first visit to the United States in 1988, Balozi was responsible for financing Sheikh Mourtalla's first visit to the United States.[40]

In 1990, the Hijrah Project was started with the goal of the construction of an educational institute in Touba. As part of his N'Digel (protocols of governance), Sheikh Mourtada M'Backe produced two documents, one of which was a letter taken to New York to be delivered to Balozi.[41][35] This letter gave Balozi authorization to organize a celebration of Khadimou Rassoul. The letter stated that all talibes, both American and Senegalese, were expected to follow Balozi's guidance.[35] In 1996, Balozi was included among a delegation from the World Islamic Peoples' Leadership for a proposed meeting with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali to discuss the matter of recent American threats concerning Tarhuna and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.[citation needed]

Art collection

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He made over 200 trips to the African continent collecting art and artifacts. Some were gifts from African leaders.[1]

Death

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Harvey died on December 28, 2016, at the age of 76.[42][43] His funeral was held on December 31, 2016, with Maulana Karenga giving an homage to Balozi during the event. Newark mayor Ras Baraka issued a statement following Harvey's death, stating "Few have done more to build bridges between African nations and the Black communities of America."[44] Following Harvey's death, the Balozi R.M.Z. Harvey Foundation was created in his honor.[45][46] Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. would dedicate a bronze plaque in Balozi's honor in Essex County's Legend Way.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Ambassador of Art". balozirmzharvey.com. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  2. ^ "balozi - English translation - bab.la Swahili-English dictionary". En.bab.la. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "TO Balozi | ToubaOmaha.com". toubaomaha.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "THE PERSONAL WEBSITE OF BALOZI R. M. Z. HARVEY". balozirmzharvey.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  5. ^ Remo, Jessica. "N.J. activist, champion of African-American heritage dies at 76", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 30, 2016. Accessed November 6, 2017. "Harvey was born in East Orange and graduated from East Orange High School in 1957, according to his website."
  6. ^ Dressler, Markus; Geaves, Ron; Klinkhammer, Gritt (June 2, 2009). Sufis in Western Society: Global networking and locality. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-10573-1.
  7. ^ "Karimu F. Hill-Harvey Mediation 2 Resolution, LLC". www.mediation2resolution.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Bowing in Obeisance to Balozi: In Rightful Recognition and Instruction". Los Angeles Sentinel. December 20, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Zain Abdullah. "Sufis on Parade: The Performance of Black, African, and Muslim Identities" (PDF). Toubamica.org. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d Woodard, Komozi (1999). A nation within a nation : Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) and Black power politics. Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-7617-8. OCLC 62153789.
  11. ^ "History of the Congress of Afrikan People". www.marxists.org. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "balozi zayd Archives". The North | Newark. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  13. ^ NJ.com, Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for (December 30, 2016). "Activist, champion of African-American heritage dies at 76". nj. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Farmer, Ashley D. (2017). Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN 9781469634388.
  15. ^ Joseph, Peniel E. (August 21, 2013). The Black Power Movement: Rethinking the Civil Rights-Black Power Era. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-77340-2.
  16. ^ Tate, Lessie B. (May 2018). "Pan-Africanism, Tanzanian/African American linkages and the Six Pan-African Congress, 1969-1974" (PDF). Global Journal of Multidisciplinary Research. 2 (1): 5.
  17. ^ "CAP: Going Through Changes!!" (PDF). Unity & Struggle. October 1974. pp. 1–10. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  18. ^ Sachs, Susan (July 28, 2003). "In Harlem's Fabric, Bright Threads of Senegal (Published 2003)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Hornblower, Margaret (October 2, 1983). "Third World Trade Group Brings Africa's Business to Harlem". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  20. ^ "Third World Center In Harlem Stirs Again". The New York Times. January 1, 1989. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  21. ^ "US blacks - from financial planners to 'Kool & the Gang'- think Africa". Christian Science Monitor. May 28, 1987. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  22. ^ "Balozi R. M. Z. Harvey". www.balozirmzharvey.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  23. ^ "Partnership for New York City". Pfnyc.org. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  24. ^ Emblen, Mary L. (August 7, 1994). "NEW JERSEY GUIDE". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  25. ^ "FEC Disclosure Report Search Results". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  26. ^ a b "ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO DEDICATES MEMORIAL PLAQUES". essexcountynj.org. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  27. ^ "Economic Development Corp gets new Leader". Balozirmzharvey.com. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  28. ^ a b "21104". www.essex-countynj.org. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  29. ^ "Ghanaians get the royal treatment". Modern Ghana. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  30. ^ "20th CHEIKH AHMADOU BAMBA ANNUAL DAY" (PDF). United Nations. July 28, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  31. ^ Jackson, Chanta L. (September 27, 2008). "Newark's African Commission hosts panel today". nj. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  32. ^ "75th birthday fete set for famed black author Amiri Baraka". BlackRadioNetwork. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  33. ^ "Balozi Harvey Dead at 76". TAPinto. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  34. ^ "SOUTH ORANGE – Essex News Daily". essex1259.rssing.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  35. ^ a b c Al-Rahman, Muhammad A.; Al-Rahman, Yusuf I. (2021). The Journey of the Andu-Sahelian Peoples: The Ndigel: Touba and the Nexus with Diasporian Peoples. pp. 34, 112, 378. ISBN 979-8495614086.
  36. ^ Abdullah, Zain (September 30, 2010). Black Mecca: The African Muslims of Harlem. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-981361-2.
  37. ^ "the pulse episode 7: balozi harvey -". fascom-spb.ru. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  38. ^ Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba Annual Day un.org
  39. ^ Abdullah, Zain (2009). "Sufis on Parade: The Performance of Black, African, and Muslim Identities" (PDF). Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 77 (2): 199–237. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfp016. PMID 20681085.
  40. ^ Salzbrunn, Monika (2004). "The Occupation of Public Space through Religious and Political Events: How Senegalese Migrants Became a Part of Harlem, New York". Journal of Religion in Africa. 34 (4): 468–492. doi:10.1163/1570066042564428. ISSN 0022-4200. JSTOR 1581508.
  41. ^ https://toubamica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Trifocal-Islamic-Peoples_3.pdf
  42. ^ "BALOZI HARVEY Obituary (2016) - New York, NY - New York Times". www.legacy.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  43. ^ "Balozi Harvey". IMDb. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  44. ^ "Newark Mourns African-American Activist: Robert 'Balozi' Alexander Harvey". Newark, NJ Patch. December 30, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  45. ^ "Nurisha A. Harvey, ESQ.: Following Family Footsteps to Advance Equal Justice". info.cooley.edu. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  46. ^ "Balozi R.M.Z. Harvey". Balozi R.M.Z. Harvey. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
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