New York City, New York (BlackNews.com)--"The Commemoration of The MAAF" (pronounced MAH-AH-FAH) began twelve years ago at East New York, Brooklyn house of worship St. Paul Community Baptist Church (SPCBC) spearheaded by The MAAFA executive organizer, founder and SPCBC Senior Pastor, Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood.

More than 100 million Africans lost their lives during a period in history known as the Middle Passage.

Following the voyage from Africa to America, millions were enslaved for over 300 years. The events surrounding The MAAFA are a learning resource and encourage participants to never forget the past.

The term MAAFA is a Kiswahili word for "great calamity, disaster, catastrophe, or tragedy" and was introduced into scholarship by Dr. Marimba Ani in her seminal work "Let The Circle Be Unbroken" in an effort to succinctly redefine the horror formerly known as the Middle Passage.

"The Commemoration of The MAAFA" is a weeklong celebration that engages the entire community in understanding and embracing the legacy of the Middle Passage and leads toward a process of reconciliation and healing.

The centerpiece of "The Commemoration" is a spiritual psychodrama called The MAAFA Suite...A Healing Journey.

The MAAFA Suite depicts the capture, enslavement and survival of Africans through song, dance, drama and narrative with a cast and crew of more than 100, primarily comprised of congregants of St. Paul Community Baptist Church. This breathtaking re-enactment runs from September 17 through 22.

In addition to The MAAFA Suite other activities include presentations from Clinical Industrial Psychologist Dr. Edwin Nichols, Guilford College Professor and Anti-Racist Organizer Monica F. Walker, Chicago Genealogist and author Tony Burroughs and many others.

The week’s events culminate with a stirring and moving ceremony at the Atlantic Ocean one should not miss. The general public is invited to experience "The Commemoration of the MAAFA" from September 16-23. MAAFA Suite ticket prices range from $10-$40 and are on sale now.

St. Paul Community Baptist Church has a congregation of more than 8,000 and an annual budget exceeding $3.5 million.

Reverend Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood has served as the church’s Senior Pastor for the past 32 years.

Some of his most noteworthy accomplishments include the incorporation of a full-time staff at SPCBC of approximately 60 people who provide a cadre of social, educational and economic resources to this East New York community; establishment of a nationally recognized ministry to Black men, which recruits and trains Black men to assume leadership responsibilities within their church, families and communities; development of a fully staffed elementary and junior high school (Johnny Ray Youngblood Academy) which maintain an overall average enrollment of 250 students and has been the co-chair of The East Brooklyn Congregations--an organization that has built over 2500 affordable homes in Brooklyn since 1984 and currently has an additional 1200 units under construction.