Balozi Harvey

Robert Zayd Muhammad "Balozi" Harvey (January 26, 1940 – December 28, 2016) was an American activist, community organizer, diplomat, and public official based in New Jersey and New York. He played a prominent role in Black political organizing, Pan-African diplomacy, and cultural exchange between African nations and African-American communities from the 1960s onward.

Harvey was given the title "Balozi", Swahili for ambassador or statesman, by Julius K. Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania in 1964.

Over the course of his career, he worked with international governments, the United Nations, local and county administrations, and later served in senior economic development and cultural affairs roles in Essex County, New Jersey.

Early life Harvey, in his United States Air Force uniform.Harvey was born in East Orange, New Jersey, on January 26, 1940, to parents Clifton Harvey and Willie Bell Harvey. He was raised Catholic. His father was a cook for Marcus Garvey, an activist in the Pan-African Movement.

In 1965, Harvey converted from Christianity to Islam and joined the Nation of Islam. He later became an advocate for the holiday Kwanzaa. He married Karimu F. Hill in 1979, a judge of the Municipal Court of East Orange. From 1982 until his death, Harvey resided in South Orange, New Jersey.

Activism and Diplomacy Balozi Harvey standing with activist and politician Jesse Jackson.

Black Movement In 1961, the same year he was discharged, Harvey became involved with the Black Power Movement. In 1964, Harvey returned to Africa, as a guest of Julius K. "Mwalimu" Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania. Nyerere referred to him as Balozi (Swahili for ambassador or statesman).

In 1966, eighteen months after his return to the United States, he served as a job recruiter for Tanzania. In 1967, Balozi founded and became Chairman of the Black Community Development Organization. In 1967, Balozi attended the inaugural Kwanzaa celebration, launched by Malanga Karenga, in Los Angeles, California. In 1969, due to conflicts from Baraka's push for centralizing CFUN and prioritizing political education, the Black Community Development Organization and other groups, such as the Sisters of Black Culture, departed CFUN.

Roles and Partnerships Starting in 1970, Harvey operated as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) representative to the United Nations, for the Congress of Afrikan People (CAP). He was in charge of CAP's international affairs and led the East Orange branch of CAP.

In 1982, Harvey was appointed executive director of the Harlem Third World Trade Institute (HTWTI), at the recommendation of US Congressman Charles B. Rangel. HTWTI is responsible for hosting and partnering with government officials and business leaders, and also acts as the international trade and investment promotion agency for the Harlem Urban Development Corporation (HUDC). That same year, he also served as a consultant to the Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. During his 13 years as executive director, HTWTI facilitated over $30 million of international transactions.

In 1983, the United Nations African and Caribbean Diplomatic Corps, under the joint chairmanship of Ambassador Oumarou G. Youssoufou, Executive Secretary of the Organization of African Unity to the United Nations, and Ambassador Serge Charles, of Haiti, honored Harvey at a testimonial dinner. The next year, he formed and became chairman of the Essex County Pan-African Cultural Society. He was also elected to the Board of Directors of the New York City Partnership, Inc. The partnership was headed by David Rockefeller, Chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank. alt=Balozi Harvey and Cheikh Mame Mor M'Backe gathered with several NJ politicians and officials. From right to left, in foreground: Harvey; former East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser; former New Jersey Representative William D. Payne; Mourid spiritual leader Cheikh Mame Mor M'Backe; and former United States Representative Donald M. Payne. Harvey worked with several foreign dignitaries. The event was attended by twenty-five Chiefs, from Africa, and their respected Queens.

Between 2001 and 2002, Harvey served as Executive Vice President of Egg Solution, Inc., a European, optical, technology manufacturer with offices in Paris, New York City, and Los Angeles. A resident of Essex County, he was appointed Director of the Office of Cultural Diversity and Affirmative Action, in 2003. Through this post, he served as a member of the Essex County Disparity Study Commission and the Essex County Juvenile Justice Disparities Working Group. In 2004, he was appointed as executive director of the Essex County Economic Development Corporation and Essex County Office of Cultural Diversity and Affirmative Action, serving in those roles until 2007. A year later, in January 2005, he was appointed as executive director of the Essex County Economic Development Corporation (EDC), by county executive Joseph N. Di Vincenzo Jr.

Later Years In May 2006, Harvey was honored, as the Grand Marshall of the 40th Annual African-American Heritage New Jersey State-Wide Parade. Harvey retired from his diplomatic career, in September 2007. alt=Mourid International Community Annual Parade, Harlem, USA Photo taken of the Mourid International Community Annual Parade, held on Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Day, in Harlem. Balozi walks, at the front of the parade, dressed in black. Harvey gave opening remarks, at the 20th Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Annual Day, at the United Nations Headquarters, on July 28, 2008. At the event, he encouraged everyone to celebrate Ahmadou Bamba, by wearing traditional African clothing. He began wearing African clothing, in 1987, in homage to his friend President Sankara, of Burkina Faso, who was assassinated that same year. He emphasized that those within the African Diaspora wear black and green, to distinguish themselves from their African brothers who dressed in white. On April 26, 2016, the NAACP Chapter of the Oranges and Maplewood awarded him with its Presidential Award, during their Freedom Fund brunch.

Religion and Spirituality In 1965, Harvey converted to Islam, from Catholicism, while working with President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania. He took Zayd Muhammad, as his Muslim name.

He was named the North American Representative and Spokesman for Cheikh Moutada M'Backe, the spiritual leader of the Mourid Islamic Community, headquartered in Touba, Senegal. Harvey served as President of the Mourid Islamic Community in America (MICA). In this role, his primary responsibility was to assist Murid officials in making administrative decisions. At the time, he was, reportedly, the only American to head a predominantly African Sufi organization. In 1988, Harvey was responsible for financing Sheikh Mourtalla's first visit to the United States.

In 1990, the Hijrah Project was established, to construct an educational institute in Touba. As part of his N'Digel (protocols of governance), Sheikh Mourtada M'Backe produced a document His funeral was held, on December 31, 2016, with Maulana Karenga giving the homage. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka issued a statement, following Harvey's death, saying, "Few have done more to build bridges between African nations and the black communities of America". Following Harvey's death, the Balozi R.M.Z. Harvey Foundation was created, in his honor. Essex County executive Joseph N. Di Vincenzo Jr. dedicated a bronze plaque, in Harvey's honor, in Essex County's Legend Way.