Our Traveler

Rafiki Baba – Mukhtar Kojo Ali

July 1962 - (He insists on the dash being larger than the dates.  He’s “living the dash!”  It’s the most important part!)

Most Proud Moment

Being the son of my parents

Stunning Facts

• Wore an all white, double breast suit to grammar school graduation, received award for valedictorian, 34^th Ward Most Outstanding student and Spelling Bee champion. Then recited from memory the I Have A Dream speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The teachers cried. His parents beamed.
• Shot twice in one incident with a 9mm handgun. One bullet went through his back and across his spine.
• World Record Holder for longest continuous punching and kicking on a standing punching bag, with a minimum of 100 kicks per hour :: 8:03 hours

Education

• Computer School, Quantico, VA
• College of DuPage
• DeVry University
• DePaul University
• Hard Knocks University: Ph. D. in LIFE Science

Career History

• Minister
• U.S. Marine
• Computer Operator
• Martial Arts Instructor
• Unlicensed Pharmaceutical Purveyor
• Computer Operator
• Telemarketing Supervisor
• Gang Leader
• Student
• Director of Religious Affairs & Chapter Development Division – PUSH
• Electrician’s Apprentice
• Entrepreneur:
  • Graphic Artist
  • IT Consultant
  • Business Management Consultant
  • T-Shirt Design Company
  • Janitorial Services
  • Real Estate Investor
  • Web Designer
  • Wellness/Fitness Trainer
  • Creator of RhythmBox’n (www.rhythmboxn.com)
  • General Contractor
  • Pastor

Social Endeavors

• Volunteer:
  • JUMP Program for criminally at-risk youth
  • Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club
  • Apartment Complex Newsletter
• Families United Creating A Nation – FUCAN Tribe
• Local host and facilitator for the nonprofit organization LifeClimb project, during their cross-country campaign to speak to 20,000 students in cities through which they rode (bicycles) sharing the message of how their decisions create their future.
• 

• (www.generositytour.org) A scientific experiment using the investigative method.

His Heroes

• Mother & Father
• 1^st Born Son
• Robert Johnson
• Warren Buffet
• Kimora Simmons
• Russell Simmons
• Will Smith & Jada Pinkett
• Eberhard Arnold
• That Young Man who chose life over despair
• That Young Mother who chose hope over expediency

Favorite Authors

• Khalil Gibran – The Prophet
• Rumi – The Book of Love
• Ayi Kwei Armah – Two Thousand Seasons
• Malcolm Gladwell – Blink
• Louise Hay – You Can Heal Your Life
• Wallace D. Wattles – The Science of Being Great

His Passions

• Family
• Children
• Friends
• International Travel
• Outdoor Adventure
• Extreme Activities
• Artistic Design
• Entrepreneurship

His Conclusion

“Much of what i am and what i know is testament to an affliction of purpose.  In that, my spiritual inclination has always been to have abundant LIFE on purpose in contrast to leading a purposeful life or purposeful living.  Through the doors of philosophy, psychology, sociology, existentialism, theology, anthropology, cosmogony, cosmology, religiosity, physics, metaphysics, quantum physics and religion, i have traveled, spending time and blossoming as the lotus flower:  from murky depths, being opened to an original thought or…the renewing of the mind.”

Our Final Thought

Rafiki is excited about speaking to your group, organization, students and youth.  Through the gifted use of relational communication skills, photographs, videos, props and audience participation, Our Traveler will bring a rewarding experience to your group that is not soon to be forgotten.