Omoluabi: Being a Person of Good Character in Your Community

This weeks' lecture was about using your character to be a positve influence in society. It built upon the previous weeks' lecture about the importance of black intellectualism. Dr. Gbadegesin first detailed the importance of realizing our roots and what we came from. He cleared up common misconceptions about ancient African cultures. Some historians would lead us to believe that Africans had no relavent culture or history until colonialism however we know that this is not true. One of the main points of the lecture was showing that African culture not only existed but it also was full of values and ethical codes through which they governed themselves. Hence, it is not possible that African culture and morality did not exist. The lecture also defined what omoluabi meant and why it was relevant to our expericence as young African Americans. Omoluabi represents a person of good character. It is improtant for young people like ourselves to excercise good character and surround ourselves with people of good character. It is also important to realize that our decisions affect more than just us as an individual so it is crucial that we make good decisions. We have an obligation to ourselves and our community as a whole. Personally, I believe that being an omoluabi is critical to everything I do. I do not believe that anyone can say that they made a useful contribution to society unless they have been a person of good character.