1. Robert Alexander Harvey was born in East Orange, New Jersey, on January 26,1940, to parents Clifton Harvey and Willie Bell Harvey.
31 Facts About Balozi Harvey
1. 2.
Balozi Harvey's father was a cook for Marcus Garvey and an activist in the Pan-African Movement.
3.
Balozi Harvey 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.
Balozi Harvey continued studying at Seton Hall University, majoring in political science.
5.
In 1965, Balozi Harvey converted from Christianity to Islam and joined the Nation of Islam, where he later became an advocate for the holiday Kwanzaa.
6.
Balozi Harvey married Karimu F Hill in 1979, who served as the Judge of the Municipal Court of East Orange.
7.
Since 1982, Balozi Harvey resided in South Orange, New Jersey, United States.
8.
In 1961, the same year as his discharge, Balozi Harvey involved himself with the Black Power Movement.
9.
In 1967, Balozi Harvey founded and became Chairman of the Black Community Development Organization.
10.
Balozi Harvey attended the inaugural Kwanzaa celebration launched by Malanga Karenga in Los Angeles, California, in 1967.
11.
Balozi Harvey then 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.
Balozi Harvey was placed in charge of CAP's International Affairs and led the East Orange branch of the Congress.
13.
In 1971, Balozi Harvey traveled alongside other CAP leaders to the Miako Uhuru, the tenth celebration of Tanzania's independence.
14.
In 1982, Balozi Harvey was appointed executive director of the Harlem Third World Trade Institute, known as the HTWTI, upon the recommendation of US Congressman Charles B Rangel.
15.
Balozi Harvey acted as an investment consultant to the HUDC in New York City.
16.
Balozi Harvey was elected to the Board of Directors of the New York City Partnership, Inc The partnership was headed by David Rockefeller, Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank.
17.
Balozi Harvey was honored at the Rites of Passage ceremony at the Alexandria Balloon Festival in Pittstown in August 1994.
18.
Balozi Harvey served as the Director of Global Mining Consultants and the Director of Guardian Scientific Africa between 1998 and 2000.
19.
Between 2001 and 2002, Balozi Harvey served as Executive Vice President of Egg Solution, Inc.
20.
In May 2006, Balozi Harvey was honored as the Grand Marshall of the 40th Annual African-American Heritage New Jersey State-wide Parade.
21.
Balozi Harvey gave opening remarks at the 20th Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Annual Day at the United Nations Headquarters on July 28,2008.
22.
Balozi Harvey emphasized for those within the African Diaspora to wear black and green to distinguish themselves from their African brothers, who were dressed in white.
23.
In 2008, Balozi 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.
24.
Balozi Harvey was a member of the Essex County Workforce Investment Board and served as the County Executive's Municipal Liaison to the Township of Irvington, New Jersey.
25.
In 1965, Balozi Harvey converted to Islam from Catholicism while working with President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania in Eastern Africa.
26.
Balozi Harvey was named the North American Representative and Spokesman for Cheikh Moutada M'Backe, spiritual leader of the Mourid Islamic Community headquartered in Touba, Senegal.
27.
Balozi Harvey served as the President of the Mourid Islamic Community in America.
28.
In 1996, Balozi Harvey 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.
29.
Balozi Harvey made over 200 trips to the African continent collecting art and artifacts.
30.
Balozi Harvey died on December 28,2016, at the age of 76.
31.
Balozi Harvey's funeral was held on December 31,2016, with Maulana Karenga giving an homage to Balozi during the event.