Revolution through self-sufficiency: Pan Africanist offers free education & certification to other Diaspora members

                                                                                                                                                              

By Link Green –Peter Brown is a Solar Systems Engineer, IT Technician, and Grassroots Foundation Developer and he is willing to teach you everything he knows. Yes...YOU! Everything, and for FREE! Motivated by his Pan African philosophy of “doing for self,” Brown has made it his mission to travel the world teaching African descendents how to be self-sufficient. How does he do this, you ask? By teaching them skills that can be used to generate income and abandon the current system. Amongst these skills are solar energy harnessing (so that they do not have to rely on government electricity); courses on Information Technology certification (with the potential to earn at least $25/per hour without a college degree); and finally, by teaching them how to acquire and cultivate land so that they can produce their own food and agricultural exports. And if what he is teaching isn’t enough to excite potential students, perhaps the fact that it is all offered for free will do the trick! 

Frustrated with the rejection that African (and Indigenous) peoples in America were facing in Caucasian dominated industries, Brown taught himself photovoltaics (how to use solar energy for power) and technology, 5 years ago. He was 45 years old. “Africans need to be empowered,” he explained, “they need to know they can in fact do it themselves. Every area of life devalues them and lowers the bar on expectations. Teaching them these things empowers them and counters that.” Peter only teaches his courses to African and Indigenous people as the result of this philosophy and is willing to travel all over the world to give a 5 hour hands on course that will teach them everything they need to know about creating their own solar energy source. He also offers a two-month in-depth solar energy course that is comparable to those offered by institutions for sometimes tens of thousands of dollars. The only requirements that Brown has of his potential students is that there be at least 20 people RSVP’d to attend and that they offer lodging, transportation and food for he and his wife (who is his assistant). 

So why is solar energy so important and what is it? Solar energy works by using dark black square-like panels called solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity. This electricity can then be used to power entire buildings! The science is used widely all over the world, in countries like Germany, Italy and China and some parts of the United States, but has not been commercialized in the U.S. for several speculated reasons, including conflict with the status quo of the power industry. This energy can cut electricity costs almost in half if utilized (solarcentral.com, 2015). Creating one’s own solar energy power source could free them from the grips of electricity and gas companies altogether as energy from the sun can (for now) be harnessed at no cost. “This would make our people self-sufficient when it comes to power, one of the most widely controlled aspects of our life,” Brown explains “self-sufficiency is the most revolutionary act any person could engage in. You cannot fight a system that you rely on.” 

The jack-of-all trades organizes and hosts his courses through his grass roots movement Educational and Collaborative Homegrown Organization (ECHO), also offering free courses in IT Certification such as A+ Certification training, Network+, Security+, CCNA, amongst other certifications and educational courses that offer high salaries without requiring a college degree. He explains that “there are 8.1 Million unfilled IT jobs today that were vacated by Indians, who came in (from India) and took the entry level positions that were open 10 to 15 years ago. They are now in upper-level positions and the void is growing amongst those entry level positions. There is no pipeline to fill this void and this is the reason that I am teaching my people, so that they can fill this void.” 

Brown describes his courses as being designed to be taught to anyone, regardless of their level of experience with computer technology or solar energy systems, as long as they have an open mind and a desire to excel. Students are guaranteed to learn how solar power is harnessed and used and how to do so for themselves. “All you need to do is show up with a pad and pencil and be prepared for a fun and exciting, hands on workshop into alternative energy solutions!” Brown assures potential students. Readers who are interested in having Peter Brown visit their local cities to present a course on solar energy, are invited to email him at echomultiverse@gmail.com for more information. He can also be contacted at this email for questions on other courses that he offers in the IT field. 

Brown giving a free solar power course in Queens, NY