The Movement That Changed Everything

By Minister Al

Morgan spent his childhood in Texas living a normal life. As a teenager, he was able to visit his grandmother in East Africa. He quickly fell in love with the culture and the people, but struggled to watch corruption and brutality going on around him. This novel explores the life of young Morgan as he uses his dreams for the African people to fuel a political career, taking control of the nation and changing it for the better. He faces significant barriers and opposition, but never lets anyone stop him from achieving his dreams.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781480899728

Minister Al

I go by the name of Minister Al. I was born in Africa and grew up during the war. In my early Twenties, I immigrated to Canada worked hard labor in manufacturing, became a truck driver, worked in oil field, construction, logging and sales&marketing until life gave me an opportunity to become an author. What motivated me to write this book has two parts: One part from what I experienced, heard, and witnessed in Africa. At first, I thought that it was the way of life until I came to live in north America and experienced how advanced community in development human rights and democracy lives. It was way much better than Africans. Second part was just to give the world a great reading experience, my mind stories and connect with the minds of those out there that dreams of a better and much nicer world. www.ministeral.com

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Chapter 1

MEETING A NATION

M organ, a young African American, was born during the hot Texan summer of 1963. His father was a Caucasian American. His mother was African American, and her mother, Morgan’s grandmother, came from an East African country. Morgan had a quiet childhood as he grew up with his parents. He was unbothered by the rest of the world and learned how to enjoy the little things like playing in his backyard or going to the park with his parents. It was simple, but he was happy and woke up each day feeling loved by his parents.

Despite growing up in Texas, Morgan was always raised to recognize his African heritage. At fourteen years old, Morgan finally got to meet his grandmother, Amala. She had come to visit them unexpectedly so that she could spend quality time with Morgan. The two bonded over the weeks that she was there. They would spend their afternoons shopping for food, putting together puzzles, and basking in the sunshine. Before she left, Morgan promised Amala that he would visit her in her home country someday. Though it was hard to say goodbye, Morg an was happy thinking about reuniting in the future.

Morgan grew up to be a very competitive youth, striving to be the best at everything he did. He won almost everything he was challenged to. He started playing sports at a very young age, and he quickly became one of the best players in his neighborhood. He played everything from soccer to basketball. Everybody knew he was the best. He would always be picked first for sports teams since everyone knew he would do everything in his power to beat the other team. He was the most talented and driven and was always hungry for success.

When Morgan turned sixteen, he started to notice the injustices in his schools. All the educational facilities he saw were segregated, separating the black students from the white students. This encouraged Morgan to organize a student strike demanding to end segregation once and for all. He worked tirelessly day and night to encourage his fellow students, including a few teachers, to participate in the strike. It saw a modest turnout, and Morgan’s parents were proud to see the impact their son had on his community. Even though Morgan’s skin was passably white, his parents knew that his racial identity meant a lot to him. He defied expectations and helped educate people on how the darkness of his skin did not have to affect the heritage he identified with. Following the organized strike, Morgan also joined school politics. He became class president in his final year of school and made some honorable policy changes during his time in office.

As Morgan grew older, he quickly learned that he wanted to fulfill the American dream by getting a nice job. His experiences in school politics inspired him to aim for a higher job in the field. He had high hopes of one day being a US senator to help fight for the voiceless. Unfortunately, Morgan was growing up in a poor and dangerous neighborhood, and getting the right education proved difficult. Morgan did not let this hurt his dreams, and he surrounded himself with other people, pulling them in with his charisma.

When Morgan was twenty-one years old, he got the chance to visit his grandmother in East Africa. He would get to fulfill the promise he’d made so many years ago, and he would get to discover the history of his ancestors, learning more about what it was like to grow up in an African community. So, he flew over to the country. The moment he stepped into the warm African air, he felt at home, despite it being his first time there. He was thrilled to see his grandmother and was excited to learn what the land had to offer. It wasn’t long before Morgan was learning the culture and language of the town that Amala lived in. He would dress in their traditional style with pride, and he loved visiting the neighboring towns and countries.

Morgan was also given the chance to spend plenty of time with Amala. She acted as a mentor to him, teaching him all about the place where she grew up. She would take him through the towns and the cities and show him all the best places to spend time. She alluded to some of the injustices she faced, especially growing up. She had moved to Texas as a young woman and given birth to her daughter, Morgan’s mother. This would ensure that she had African and American citizenship, which Amala knew could offer her daughter whatever future she might choose. Once her daughter had grown old enough to travel, Amala tried to bring her back to Africa. It was hard to raise a child there since there was not adequate health care or education. So, they returned to America. Amala’s daughter ended up finishing her schooling and fell in love with Morgan’s father. They married and had Morgan. Amala ended up moving back to Africa on her own, knowing that her daughter was where she wanted to be.

Morgan was not meant to stay in Africa for too long, but he loved it so much that he kept delaying his flight home. After a year of living peacefully in East Africa, Morgan started to notice some of the regime brutality toward so many of the powerless and helpless people around him. The dictator who ruled the country tolerated nothing that threatened his governance. Because of this, the area faced severe corruption and brutality that was unlike anything Morgan had ever seen. Anyone who dared face the leader was imprisoned or executed, and nobody was able to have a real shot at building a democracy.

As time went on, young Morgan continued to witness how the country was having its natural resources stolen by men working with the regime. They would enrich themselves at the expense of the people. Corruption was so bad that people working in the mines were forced to work without pay for months on end. On the other side, corrupt entrepreneurs continued to get rich alongside the president and his family and friends. The entire country was without health care, had no access to school, and had no medicine for those who were not rich. It was a tragedy to witness, and Morgan was watching it all. Everyone who spoke up was jailed or killed. The justice system was working for the president—and not for the people.

Violence continued to grow around Morgan day in and day out. He quickly learned that the neighboring countries were not being led any differently. Amala had taken him to the neighboring countries, and what he was seeing was no different. He knew the corruption may be a nationwide problem. It was not just that there were a few bad leaders; it was that nobody had ever tried to stop them properly. They kept thinking their corruption would go unchallenged.

Most elections in the region were hijacked by the ruling party. This made daily life for ordinary citizens much more difficult. Those who stole the votes did not need the people, so they did not serve them or care for them. Education and other important resources were not a possibility. Any Western aid was going back into the hands of the corrupted friends of the regime and into the pockets of politicians. Food and money for new schools were occasionally sent over, but the corrupted leaders would steal those resources before any citizen even heard about it.

In addition to the ruling party trying to control the nation’s people, they also controlled the nation’s media. The country had one national television channel and three radio stations. One station was for government-related topics, one was for entertainment, and a third was for religious topics. The ruling party had many strict rules that each station had to follow, and they would punish creators if they stepped out of line. No reporters or radio personalities were allowed to speak poorly about the government or say anything negative about the ruling leaders. No station could criticize government policies or law changes. It was forbidden to blame any problems within the country on the government. Because the media never reported on these problems, it became easier for citizens to ignore them.

Though Morgan was growing used to life in East Africa, he couldn’t help but compare it to the free world and the land of opportunity that he knew America was. It hit him hard every time he saw such brutality. He knew that nobody else was openly standing up against the regime, and most were too terrified to do anything. Folks lived in fear of protesting—even in private. The government had spies all around and could turn people against one another with ease. So, nobody could even think to try to organize any sort of protest or movement against the government.

Since Morgan had a right to participate and have a say in politics as a citizen rather than a foreigner, he knew that he had to act. He began organizing youth gatherings to discuss the future of the youth, working to demand more opportunities, access to better education, and a fair job-hiring process from the government. Since Morgan was so good with people, he managed to find the right ones to speak with. He never feared that they were spies, and he could tell who genuinely supported his ideas. Amid all his planning, he thought of his family back home and wrote his father a letter:

Dear Dad,

It has now been sixteen months since I last saw you. I miss you and Mom so much. How are you guys doing? While I find most of the people here to be so friendly, there’s so much more going on. Dad, you would not believe it. East Africa has a virus of corrupted and brutal leaders who don’t tolerate opposition. I witness people getting killed or thrown into jail for exercising their constitutional rights! The worst part is that the justice system works only for the president and his supporters.

Dad, do you remember how I used to dream of becoming a US senator? Well, I think that I am needed here much more. Grandma told me that Mom and I are registered citizens of this country. So, I’ve been looking into it. Well, guess what? I found out that I can be in the running to become a member of Parliament, which is like a congressman back home.

So, Dad, pray for me. I cannot sit and watch this injustice and brutality anymore. I am going to start a party, but it will be more like a movement for the youth and those like me who are tired of this regime, brutality, injustice, corruption, and living in fear.

I know that this news might make you sad, but please do not try to fight me. I have made my decision.

Sending love to you and Mom,

Morgan

Morgan’s father was understandably concerned and shocked when he read the letter from his son. He was terrified of the risk that Morgan was taking. He had heard stories from his wife about the political problems going on in her mother’s home country. The man could only imagine how bad it must be for Morgan to want to step in, trusting that his son would only ever do such a thing if he felt that it was necessary. Despite trusting in his son to make smart choices, he still could not get over his fears for Morgan’s safety. He tried to convince his wife to fly to the country with him and demand that Morgan return home, but his wife refused. She knew that his health was not good enough to fly for such a long time and that he could not go without her. She was also concerned about Morgan’s safety, but she trusted her own mother to guide him to do the right thing. Knowing that he would not be able to fly there and speak with his son, Morgan’s father wrote him a letter in return:

Dear Morgan,

Oh, how you worry your dear old man. I understand that you want to do right by the world, but you are risking your life. You must understand that. What you want to do will not be an easy task, and I fear that you will be harmed. You cannot change the world, son. Please, I beg you to reconsider what you are doing.

I have recently learned of a connection of mine in Washington. I think that we could have a real shot of getting you an election campaign to join the House of Representatives. You could have a very strong career in politics over here. I know that you are thinking of the problems over there, but it would be much safer for you here. Your mother and I would be able to see you again.

We would do anything to have you come back to us. I’ll even let you have my vintage car that you’ve always admired so much. We could even fly your grandmother back here too. She could live with us so that you’d always have a piece of your African heritage with you.

I wish I could come to you, but as you know, my health is not the best right now. I want to spend my remaining years with my family. How can I do that if you are so far away from us?

We love you, son. Come home to us.

Love,

Your father

Morgan received the letter from his father during his planning for the future. While he was sad to hear about his father’s concerns, he knew that returning home was not something he could ever do. So, he wrote back to his father:

Dad,

Thank you for your letter. It is always nice to hear from you. You know that I miss you and Mom so much. I am always thinking of you both.

You know that I cannot return. My heart is here now, Father. I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be. There are changes that need to be made. I cannot just sit back and watch such brutality. If I were to return home, I would never be able to stop thinking about all I left behind.

The world needs people like me who are not scared off from making a difference. I can be the person who changes things here.

Please understand why I am not returning home. I will always write to you, Father. I love you and am praying for your health.

With love,

Morgan

Morgan began his movement with five members, most of whom were his close friends. However, within a few short months, the movement grew to eight hundred people. He had made this growth by encouraging his friends to reach out to their friends and family, talking about the ideas that Morgan had for their land.

It was hard to put up posters since they were often torn down by policemen who were working for the corrupt leaders. Morgan also worried that posters would attract attention and that policemen would come looking for the people who put them up. Even though posters were not illegal, he knew that any media against the government could be punished. So, he relied on word of mouth and spoke to a lot of citizens about the issues that he was passionate about.

During this time, he noticed that the government was watching him closely. They began to threaten and follow him and his close allies in the movement. Though Morgan did not want the members of his movement to fear for their safety, he knew that they needed to be aware of things. So, he trained them in what to say should they be captured. He made a plan that, should anyone need to make excuses to the government, they should lie and say that their movement was entirely religious. He knew that this would confuse the policemen and government officials since they were not aware of many religious concepts. All movement members had Morgan’s full permission to say whatever they needed to escape prosecution or injury. Morgan felt responsible for these people since they were helping him with such an important task. He would do anything to protect them, and he tried to ensure their safety as best as he could.

Though he did feel unsafe at times, Morgan did not stop doing all that he could to carry the movement forward, staying true to his cause. He believed in the work he was doing so much that he was like a disciple believing in Christ. Nothing was ever going to stop him. Within eight months, the movement had six thousand members. The youth continued growing alongside it, becoming more aware of the instability within the political sphere as it was exposed by Morgan. Morgan was giving speeches in schools, and all the students who were old enough knew they would love to see Morgan in power. Everyone knew there was an immediate need for change and that Morgan could be the one to give it to them.

Morgan’s parents were watching their son’s progress closely from the comfort of their home in the United States. They worried for his life, knowing that there was tension between him and the government, and it was only going to continue mounting. His father had begged him to come back, hoping things would cool off for a little while, but Morgan was not anywhere close to wanting to leave his second citizenship in East Africa. He was attracted to the customs, and his heart was tied with the region’s needs. Even the thought of leaving felt like a betrayal. His parents eventually were forced to accept that their son would never come back to Texas as a normal young man. He was too passionate and inspired to concern himself with everyday worries like finding a girlfriend or getting into a good college.

As the movement continued to look forward, Morgan saw things manifesting in the streets. People were demanding change and an end to corruption and injustice. He demanded transparency in hiring processes and a good education. These were some of the pieces that he was trying to promote the hardest since he knew they were issues for most of the people. His loud protests were documented in newspapers everywhere, making him famous among all the neighboring regions. His face was plastered on the front of magazines that tried to make fun of him by saying, Muzungu has no ticket to return home! Morgan did not let this slow him down; anything that was being written about him meant that more people would learn his story. He also knew that he was a legal citizen of the East African land and that he had just as much right to be there as anyone else.

Had Morgan been only an African citizen, he would have been killed. However, he knew his American citizenship granted him a level of protection. The regime feared that killing an American citizen would hurt their relationship with Washington to the point of no return. They already had a weak relationship, and Washington often let them act out their corruptive nature while turning a blind eye—as long as they never attacked. So, the regime started looking for ways to incriminate him so that they could throw him in jail and extradite him back to the United States, stopping his movement once and for all, but this was no easy task. Morgan was always surrounded by his co-patriots. This made it hard for anyone from the outside to get him without force. He had quickly become enemy number one to the dictator president. Morgan was not afraid of openly criticizing the president, knowing that his bravery in doing so stood out to the movement and to citizens everywhere.

The regime began hiring spies to infiltrate the movement and gain closer access to Morgan. It was taking so long that the president was running out of patience. He had so much money that he could give to the members of the movement to betray him and incriminate him. It was like Judas and the Pharisees. After finding some citizens who were willing to trade their ideals for cash, they snuck grenades into Morgan’s bag and called the police to search him. The dictator knew that he would get at least five years in prison for this, but he may never serve it if the government followed