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3:45 A.M.: Up early to finish packing of suitcase for trip to the Sudan.
5:30 A.M.: Called Mtume to confirm pickup time for JFK Airport. I really need more time to finish packing. I must remember to pack lightly. Mtume says that we are pressed for time and that we need to get to the airport by
7:30 A.M.: Cool. I am all packed for the trip.
6:30 A.M.: Mtume picks me up and we head to JFK. I show him a shortcut to the airport through Bayonne on Route 440 to Interstate 287 across the Verizanno Bridge.
7:45 A.M.: We made it to JFK airport. Not bad.
8:00 A.M.: Mtume and I check-in with Emigrates Airline. We are the first in our delegation of journalists and broadcasters to arrive at the airport. That’s the way ‘Tumes wanted it since he is heading the delegation on the broadcast side. Our flight is supposed to depart JFK at
11:00 A.M.: We believe that it might be late this morning. We will see. This trip is, if I have not already mentioned it, sponsored by the Sudanese government. The government is paying for everything---our flight, the hotel and all food and beverages. The delegation hails from all over the country, including such places as Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, Seattle, Los Angeles and, of course, the Big Apple. Slowly but surely the delegation starts to arrive at the airport from their respective hometowns. We say hello and connect with other members of the delegation. Many of the participants are excited about the trip and for a few folks this will be their first time out of the country. That is the case for our very own, Fatiyn Muhammad, our intrepid Producer of our OpenLine Show. Brother Fatiyn, as we call him, is excited about the prospect of being in the Sudan and getting a chance to see and experience firsthand what is happening to the people of Darfur. Fatiyn’s excitement was contagious among the delegation participants. The administrative leader of this high-powered delegation is a brother named Akbar Muhammad, the international representative to Minister Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation Of Islam. Brother Akbar, as he is known, is a very intense person. I like him upclose. Sincere and direct, Akbar plays no games with you. He is very serious about Africa and the need for American blacks to connect with the continent of African in order to persuade our public policymakers in American to provide for more financial aid support and development for Africa. Also, he wants America to take a positive political posture toward the continent as well. Brother Akbar briefed us on the trip and what he expected in terms of meetings with key government officials once we arrive in Khartoum, Sudan, the nation’s capital city.
10:45 A.M.: We head toward the boarding gate for our Emitrates flight and the inevitable security check-in. We are now boarding the plane to Sudan with a stopover in Dubai City, Dubai. Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates in the North mid part of the Arabian Peninsula. The City is called "Dubai City" to distinguish it from the emirate. This will be a nearly a 20 hour flight, counting the layover in Dubai. We will arrive in Khartoum, Sudan, on Saturday night around 6 P.M. We are going to be wiped out when we arrive.
11:40 A.M.: Our flight from JFK takes off headed for Dubai. The entire delegation is excited about the trip. Some members of the delegation are a little bit skeptical of what they will encounter on this trip and what kind of truth they will receive from the Sudanese government. About 5 hours into the trip headed for Dubai, I am getting slightly sick and my stomach is churning. I must have eaten something while waiting at JFK.
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