Joseph "Seyoum" Lewis, August 3, 1951-September 1, 2008

HONORING THE LIFEI .WORKI AND PHILOSOPHY OF
M WALIMU JOSEPH ''5EYOUM11 0BA NEFTA LEWIS

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AUGUST 31 1.951 - SEPTEMBER .11 2008

.Memorial Servi.ce . Saturday, September 13, 2008 ~ 1:00pm
The Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan African Orthodox .Ch ri stian Church
948 Ralph oavid Abernathy Blvd . Atlanta, Georgia 30310

Order of Service
Bishop Jabari, Pres iding lude ................................................................................................................... Family Processional ..............................................................................................................
Reading of Scriptures: Amos and Ecclesiastics ................................................ Prayer of Invocation...................................................................................... Bishop Jabari Old Testament Reading..................................................................... Brother Tacuma Hill New Testament Reading ...................................................................................... Fd. Asha Remarks- A Celebration of Life .......................................................... Family & Friends Tribute Through Drums ...................................................................................................... Song Sel ection .................................................................................................. Leon On Me Obituary........................................................................................................ Bishop Jabari Acknowl edgeme nts...................................................................................... Bishop Jabari Weighing of t he Heart Ritual................................................................ Baba Ptah Hotep Song Selection................................................................................... One More Blessing Eulogy.................................................................................................................... Fd . Ewa
FoJdjng of the Flag Ritua l.........................................................ru
Benediction ..................,.. ............ ...... .......................................'".... ...... ............... ~........ ....... Recessional....................................... ..................... ....................................... "".....................

OBITUARY
Born on August 3, 1951 to Mr. and Mrs. Houston Lewis in the Riveridge community of Detroit, Michigan (Wayne County) . Although legally named Joseph Derrick Lewis and listed as " Negro" on his birth certificate, later in life Mwalimu Seyoum Oba Netta rejected this slave name and mentality. He was known to all as "Seyoum". Our dear friend, Seyoum made his transition on Monday, September 1, 2008.
Seyoum received his elementary and secondary education in the public schools of Detroit. As a young man, he began spending time with the local gangs; and frequented the juvenile justice system . His mother, Mrs. Ruth set him down and drew a small dot on a piece of paper. She explained what he knew was just a dot, but what he did not know was all the remaining space on the page. Shortly thereafter, Seyoum enrolled in Shaw College and graduated w ith Bachelor's degree in African History. Seyoum always remembered his mother's words at that crucial point in his development. He continued to call upon her guidance weekly throughout his entire life.
He joined the Shrine of the Black Madonna in December, 1973 . In 1975, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to assist with the expansion of the shrine, as a group leader and trainer. It was there he was baptized and given the name - Mwalimu Seyoum Oba Netfa - during a ceremony. The great title of teacher must be earned and conferred through a naming ceremony ritual. It was during that time, t hat Seyoum became known as the "Mayor of the Atlanta 's West End", helping to integrate stores, serving on key City of Atlanta councils and comm ittees which prohibited the entrance of liquor stores in the community. Through his work with The Atlanta Project's Brown Village, he helped build four (4) homes on Lee and White Streets in the West End .
Seyoum lived his ljfe profoundly: He valued the sanctity of human life, he believed in uplifting African people, he felt when one of us suffers; we all suffer, and worked towards ach ieving freedom and unity for all people. Mawnmu Seyoum sacrificed himself for what he believed in. He followed the "Kuwa Philosophy", that by having a deep awareness of one's self, then one will see how t hat affects everyone around you. Seyoum was a conscious man who spoke the truth.
Seyoum possessed a rich, beautiful voice, sang in the choir, and even directed the choir at the Shrine. He was also a fantastic dancer- he could even outcfance Zarah in the {Electric Slide'. He was a self taught drummer, who loved science fiction, scary movies, and his dogs.
Seyoum was the Founder and President of J. D. Lewis and Associates~ a marketing, consulting and training firm committed to self-determination and community empowerment, and most recently served as a trainer and organizer with the People' s Institute for rviva l and Beyond; an anti-racist organization seeking to eliminate racism in the United States. As trainer, teacher, minister and friend, Seyoum worked on dozens of special projects. He was a humble man, and so we may never know the depth of his service to others.
Seyoum is preceded in death by his parents Mr. & Mrs. Houston Lewis, brothers Keith Tobias and Dr. Tyrone Lewis. He leaves to mourn his devoted wife and foot soldier Mrs. Zarah Gloria Jackson Lewis; his siblings David E. Tobias, Jr. & Chandra James, and M s. Deborah Tobias; his children Maia Bing, Marvin Weems, Titus Weems, Curtis Jr., Kitwana, and Jeana; his grandchildren : Nehemiah, Jordan, Zion, D. Curtis, Naomi, Kalaunie, Khaliah, Curtis Ill, lma ni, lan, Jada, Ngozi, Amadi, Ch inwe, and lssa . He also leaves to mourn dozens of cousins, nieces, nephews, and extended family members, as well as thousands of friends, students, colleagues, and Atlantans whose lives he deeply touched.

As The Butterfly...
The things I left behind Beautiful though they may be
I hav~ no need for them
In God's everlasting eternity
The everyday love- shared between you and me,
The memories we made The ups and downs, day to day
These are the th ings that matter, I hope you will hold them d.ear
Remembering me in the moments- joyful moments when I was near The messages I gave you- keep them in your heart
Make me proud with your steps, for our bond will never part The th ings that really count
I can truly say I have lived - loving, sharing, growing All th ese things, and more, I did
Being a good teacher, father and husband Being the best I could be-all throughout my life
I was born a Butterfly I emerged, unfurled, and flew... As I co nt inue my spiritua l journey
I pass over my earthly wings To you ... Now fly!
Unleashed ... as t he Butterfly.

Protessto1na11C01rnn;u11tltv

M walimu Joseph Sey um Oba Netfa Lewis wa

Associates; a marketing, consulting a d trai

com munity empowerment. In February of 1

First Afrocentric Temple in Atlanta, Georgia. R

ew

cently 58 ""' 8 ,.

First M inister of the Kuzinduka Temple in Atlanta, Georgia. Pre i ~ ,

r

worked as a Case Manager for Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc., an lnstructo or

t anta

Youth Development Center, Station Manager for Atlanta-based WRFG: Radio Free Georgta,

Director of Development fo r Economic Opportunity Atlanta (EOA), Cluster Coordinator for The

Atlanta Project's Brown Village, Coordinator of the Mayor's Office Of Communit y Affairs

YouthMobile, and most recently as a Trainer/Organizer with the People's Institute For Survival

and Beyond .

In addition to his public service, Reverend Lewis was Chairman of the Board of Direct ors

of South Atlanta Child Development Centers, Inc. for 13 '(ears; which operated day and after

school centers in five inner-city neighborhoods servtng ov er 600 ch tldren. Reverend Lew1s wa

Vice-President of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Cooperative Development Corporation,

Board member of the Outdoor Activity Center,

acre nature preserve located atop Bush

Mountain in Southwest Community of Oakland

The West End Boys and Girls Club, Peeples

Street Development Corporation, The Boys an

Club 011 ration First Class", The West End

Merchanfs Association, The Universa l Commu

d and Sjsterhood, The Jericho

Road Project, FULCO Community Developmen

ouse College's Community

Service Board, Atlanta Police Department'

Jsory Board, Leadership

Atlanta's Race Relation Committee,

er and Board of Directors of the

American Civil Liberties Union of G

Member of the Atlanta Black United

Fund .

Reverend Lew is was the reci

of nu

professional and community accolades,

including Certificate of Merit from the City of

in 1985 for outstanding contributions to

the growth, vita lity and spirit of the city, Nomi

t runner-u p) for the 1993 National Kool

Achiever Awa rd for outstanding individuals

better way of life in Urban America, 1994

John Calhoun Community Service Award spon

the Fulton Atlanta Community Action

Authority, Graduate of Leadership Atlanta Cia

95, 1997 Emerge Man of The Year Award

from Morehouse College, 1998 Inspiration Aw

e Mzee Azikwe Olatunji Award, presented

by the Metro Atlanta Kwanzaa Association in

nd just recently Reverend Lewis was

presented with the 2007 Martin Luther King

ward by Hands On Atlanta.

In his role as Village Coord inator with t interviewed on numerous occasions by The A the country. He has been featured and quote Magazine (11Atlanta Project: Empowering the Star in Rockford, Illinois ("The Atlanta Project: Times & World News, Roanoke, Virginia (11Nei Poverty", June 23,1993}, and the Atlanta-Hart Poverty").

nta Project, Reverend Lewis has been ournai-Constitution and newspapers across ny magazines and articles including: Focus ss", March 1993), The Rockford Register ng by Example" April 26, 1994), Roanoke ood-Based Program Shows Way To Beat raveler Premiere Issue (11Partners Against

Favarite Quotes, Poems & Other Reflections

TAP INTO PEACE: P = Personal Commitment E = Eliminate Negative Influences A= A Wake Up Call To All C =Conquer Fear and Ignorance E =Each of Us Take Responsibility
The hunter will always be the hero; until the lion has an historian.

" I start~d to think about th~ p~rson in m~ and what I could do and what I could b~ ... "
- Joann Oswal d
I AM.. . BECAUSE W E ARE.

Black Man's Creed If Ican die having brought any light; having brought any meaningful truth, that will help to destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America, Than all of the credit is due to Allah (God} Only the mistakes have been mine.
-Malcolm X
A Friend A Teacher An Organizer An Advocate A Mentor The One Who Had Your Back
The One Who Did What Was
Right The One Who Spoke His Mind The One Who Cared About
Our Community; Our People

alvation is a group experience.
Zarah, Seyoum & David went to the grocery store near Greenbriar one day. He stopped the car to let out his brother David; who was confined to a wheelchair, then he_pa rked in a handicapped zone . A female security officer approached Seyoum and asked him to move because he did not have disabled parking decal. And in true form, Seyoum responded ... "A black man in America is handicapped". The security officer was stunned then laughed. Seyoum stayed right where he was parked, and she went back into the store.

From The Mind of Seyoum & Those Who Loved Him

IfTrees Could Talk

If trees could ta lk Iwonder what they wo ul d say Would t hey speak of the wonders of America? in such a special way If trees cou ld ta lk... Wou ld they revea lthe stories of my people? Of Black folks catching hell? Would t hey t alk about slave ry? And the ha rm it has caused to us? Would it speak about t he menta l dra in, That has planted seeds of distrust? Iwonder if we would listen then? Would we believe that freedom is possible? That God is our only friend.
- Seyoum Oba N,efta
October~, ~998

Unt1tled
Forging our way ahead Blood on both sides now shed The spirit we once lost is now r egained. The devWs had its due But now its time is t hrough Freedom is ours for which we were 5orely slain
We are now Wa'lking a path,
towards our own chosen destiny
Showing how far graces haa brought us from that ugly legaoy
Never shall we fall victim to slavery
We claim our right to prosper and be free.
-Your Fri@nd & Brother, Adilifu

Hey, Giant!

Hey, Giant what you gonna do, now that you left this world behind you you touched some hearts and saved some souls but that didn't keep you from being infiltrated by moles yet your hea rt was so full of love for your folk _.....,_ __
that you kept going and working for the nation like a giant on dope you ea rned your peace as your creator will tell so rejoice and be happy you didn't go to hell now try laying back and planning it all out 'cause giants gotta do something when their time gives out Hey, Giant what you gonna do? now that you left this world behind you .
- Your Queen Zarah (Gloria)

Active Pallbearers:
Derrick Lewis Robert Woods Emery Wright Fernando Jackson Jamar Gadson Marvin Weems, Jr.

Homegoming:

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, t il l thou retu rn unto th

ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust

shalt thou return.

(Genesis 3:19}

Mawlimu Seyoum's remains will be shared with the wind, the water, and the earth in Kenya, East Africa in the coming year.

n t he entire Lewis family are humbled by your many
ress1ons of k ~ness during this time of transition and acceptance.
e wish th at every person touched by the sound of Seyoum's voice this day forward reso lve to believe and support his philosophy by
ressing to our people regularly that ... I am, because we are; I am, be-
use we are; I am, because we are...
In lieu of flowers, contributions should be sent to the family: c/o Mrs. Gloria Jackson Lewis 2712 Nep une P ace Decatur, A 30034
Services Entrusted to:
Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home 1003 Ralph David Abernathy B.lvd.
Atlanta, Georgia 30310
e Shrine of the Black Madonna n African Orthodox Christian Church 8 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd .
Atlanta, Georgia 30310 {404} 752-6125
'./W.lMN..sr rinebookstore .com