community--Dr. Edward W. Robinson, Jr. and Dr. Yosef A.A. Ben-Jochannan. First, though, before the meeting,

a bit of a background on the men themselves.

Dr. Edward W. Robinson, Jr., ninety-one, is a pillar of the African community in Philadelphia where he is

acknowledged as a man of colossal intellect and extraordinary integrity. In addition to being a gifted

historian, he has earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the Temple University School of Law. As an historian

we know him best as a contributing author of the hallmark work--The Journey of the Songhai People. In

addition, Dr. Robinson headed the Philadelphia School District Committee on African and African-American

studies, and co-authored the guidebook, "The World of African and Afro-Americans".

Dr. Yosef Alfredo Antonio Ben-Jochannan, ninety-two, is one of our most influential historians and resides

in Harlem, New York. Indeed, throughout much of New York and the rest of the country as well, he has the

status of a celebrity and has probably done more to popularize African history than any living person. He

has written numerous books, with the major focus on the Nile Valley. These works include: Black Man of the

Nile and His Family, African Origins of Major World Religions, and Abu Simbel to Giza. In addition to his

written works, Dr. Ben has escorted thousands of African people to Egypt where they have been able to see

with their own eyes the timeless deeds of our Ancestors.

Like Dr. Robinson, Dr. Ben, as he is affectionately known, enjoys the stature of living legend. The both of

them stand proudly and justifiably atop the ranks as two of our greatest Africans historians. Indeed, they

are living legends and senior statesmen in the struggle for African liberation.

Both Dr. Robinson and Dr. Ben are in their ninth decades and had yet to meet, and therefore a sit down

between them would be an historic encounter and I relished the honor of being a part of it. I pride myself

as being a dedicated African historian and have had the blessing to have interacted with many of the great

scholars our era--John G. Jackson, John Henrik Clarke, Charles B. Copher, Asa G. Hillard III, and Ivan Van

Sertima, to name a few. These are some of the Ancestors who have paved the way for the rest of us.  Dr.

Robinson and Dr. Ben (in declining health) are among the last two standing. Yes, it was a privilege to make

the arrangements for the two titans to meet.

So, on the twenty-first of February 2010 on a rainy Monday afternoon in Harlem the two titans finally met.

The meeting was in Dr. Ben's apartment just around the corner from the Schomburg Library. Yes, even the

setting was historic.

Of the two men, Dr. Robinson was the most assertive. He demonstrated an impressive humility and a genuine

enthusiasm, and asked question after question. He expressed a clarity of thought and an undiminished

brilliance and, I would have to say, had something of the bearing of a king. Dr. Ben quietly but with great

determination recalled his relationships with the African kings of Harlem, including historians Arthur

Schomburg and close friend John Henrik Clarke, along with Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell. Both of them

shared their thoughts on the presidency of Barack Obama and the future of our people.

It was an honor to be in the midst of these great men. I beamed with pride and gave thanks to the Ancestors

for allowing me to be there and play a part. It was a first, and sadly, perhaps last time meeting between

two of the most extraordinary men of our time. It was, truly, a day to remember and an encounter not to be

forgotten. It was a meeting of African titans.