Legendary Phila Political Activist Says Dr .Umar Is Ducking His Calls!

Dr. Umar Johnson: Is This the Way You Treat Your Elders?
© Philly Word Magazine and Freedmen’s Journal 2.0

Dr. Umar Johnson, the self-proclaimed “Prince of Pan-Africanism,” continues to raise questions about his commitment to uplifting the American Freedmen community. My most recent interaction with him took place on October 25th at the Strawberry Square Mall in Strawberry Mansion. Following this meeting, I sent him a text, to which he responded with what I now recognize as a condescending, “Yes, elder.” Since that brief exchange, I have heard nothing from him.

This lack of follow-through is not just disappointing; it is disrespectful. Is this the way you treat your elders? My outreach to Dr. Johnson was not casual—it was a call to action, urging him to use his considerable platform to educate American Freedmen about their rights under the 13th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1866. His silence suggests a troubling disregard for the people he claims to represent.

This behavior is reminiscent of Councilmember Jeffrey Young, who outright told me he would ignore my 14th Amendment equal protection rights. Can I assume that the principles of the dishonorable Jeffrey Young are now guiding the “Prince of Pan-Africanism”? Both cases reflect a troubling pattern of dismissing serious issues tied to the rights and dignity of American Freedmen.

Dr. Johnson’s social media persona—filled with discussions about “snow bunnies” and grandiose declarations of being “the gorilla”—might entertain or energize his followers, but it does little to address the structural and systemic issues facing our community. Being a social media influencer is not the same as being a leader. Likes and viral posts will not mobilize our youth to demand justice or inspire them to build a better future.

To those who know Dr. Umar Johnson: Let him know that Ogbonna Hagins, the unseated council president and president of the Philadelphia Reparations Coalition for American Freedmen, is seeking him—not for platitudes or entertainment, but for action. The descendants of the emancipated need leaders who understand and prioritize their unique historical and legal claims, not those who dismiss critical tools like the 13th Amendment as relics of the past.

Our community deserves better than empty rhetoric and shallow gestures. Dr. Johnson must decide whether he will step up and truly fight for American Freedmen or remain a figure of unfulfilled promises.

— Ogbonna Hagins
Unseated Council President, Philadelphia Reparations Coalllition for American Freedmen