By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
He embraced his African roots, finding in them wisdom, guidance and inner strength and selflessly shared all three with others.
Minister Imhotep Elijah Alkebulan, senior minister of Sacramento’s Wo’se Community Church, joined the ancestors on Aug. 22. He was 67. He is remembered as a spiritual and community leader who wanted Black people to know who they are and the greatness from which they descend.
Born in Oakland on March 10, 1958, Alkebulan was the firstborn child of Wilfred and Virginia Harvey. His father was a practicing Catholic and his mother, a devout Baptist. He was baptized in both faiths and held the distinction of being the first baby dedicated at Church of the Good Shepard in Oakland.
Young Alkebulan was passionate about music, singing in the Oakland Children’s Chorus at concerts and holiday celebrations. His parents frequently brought him and his sister Nancy to community meetings where they spoke out about the political and social struggles impacting West Oakland in the 1960s and 1970s. These experiences deeply influenced Alkebulan’s grasp of activism and collective upliftment.
After graduating from Oakland’s Skyline High School, Alkebulan attended San Francisco State University, where he ran track and explored what would be a lifelong passion for African history. The spark was lit when his paternal grandmother, Cecilia Fenwick Arrington, gifted him with a book about Egypt.
He was a business major, but took every possible class on African studies. His classes were led by scholars such as Dr. Raye Richardson, Dr. Asa Hilliard and Dr. Oba T’Chaka.
He furthered his journey to enlightenment by participating in African-centered and Pan African student organizations and events on campus. Alkebulan was often chastised for wasting his time, told that the only thing he’d be able to do with what he learned “was teach.”
His detractors didn’t know how prophetic they’d be.
Alkebulan was invited to attend the first service of Wo’se Community Church in Oakland, and would go on to make it his spiritual home, helping the church develop and grow and later being ordained as a minister there.
He married his soulmate, Doris Williams, in 1986 and moved to Sacramento, where he started a sister church, sharing his core teaching that Blacks are “the descendants of the greatest minds the world has ever seen.” The church’s motto is “Know Thyself.”
Minister Alkebulan is credited with using his “encyclopedic knowledge” to connect diverse cultures through history and spirituality.
“He looked for the universality of ‘Where do we see ourselves all over the world?’ Our history, African history, is world history and world history is African history,” Doris Alkebulan said.
A highly sought after teacher of African history and culture, Minister Alkebulan conducted countless seminars, workshops and in-service classes for teachers. He lectured at the university and grade school level.
“He poured libations in front of hundreds of my students because he always understood the assignment,” said local educator Elika Bernard. “Our great oak is now an ancestor and although my heart is grieving, I’m filled with gratitude because I got to experience him as a pastor, father, and healer,” Bernard said.
Area nurse and holistic health practitioner Isali Rahotep calls Minister Alkebulan a “beacon of light.” She and her husband, charter school teacher Jabari Rahotep, are Wo’se members. Minister Alkebulan officiated over their 2021 wedding and helped welcome their first child, daughter Isonde Ma’at into the community earlier this year.
“Through his unwavering commitment to his African people, my husband and I were able to find our spiritual home, community and purpose,” Rahotep said.
In addition to leading the church, Alkebulan served for 30 years as a network engineer for the County of Sacramento before retiring in 2018. In his spare time, he loved reggae music, photography and practicing Tai Chi, earning a coveted black sash, the highest rank given by the local Eastern Ways Martial Arts School.
During retirement, he faithfully worked with the Metro Sacramento Black Council of Elders, which creates diverse learning opportunities for area youth.
Alkebulan received numerous accolades over the years, including recognition from the Sacramento Black United Fund and the Sacramento OBSERVER, who named the local spiritual leader a Glory Award recipient in 2010 and listed him on its “100 Most Influential African Americans” list.
“He was a truly genuine soul whose presence radiated peace and calm, even in the midst of turmoil,” said RoLanda Wilkins, who recognized Minister Alkebulan during her 2014 Men of Honor celebration. “His wisdom and guidance were a gift,” continued Wilkins, who also featured him on her “Earth Mama Network” podcast.
Wo’se Sacramento moved to virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now also meets in-person every fourth Sunday of the month. The church also offers its weekly “Black Knowledge Matters” videos online. The church will continue under the leadership of longtime member, Minister Alicia Teasley. There are also a number of ministers-in-training who will help carry on their founder’s legacy.
“Ever onward, ever forward,” Doris Alkebulan said. “We’ll still be here, it’s just a new chapter.”
To cherish his memory, he leaves Doris, his wife of 39 years; sons, Dr. Rahotep Alkebulan (Malorie) and Kaba Alkebulan; his sister, Nancy Harvey Mackey; uncle Ronald Harvey; aunty Audrey Archer, a host of cousins, nieces and nephews; and his beloved Wo’se family.
Services for Minister Alkebulan are as follows – a viewing is set to be held on Wednesday, Sept. 3, from 4-6 p.m. at Morgan Jones Funeral Home, 4200 Broadway. Alkebulan, whose name means “He Who Comes In Peace,” will be laid to rest in the Unity Garden of Richmond’s Rolling Hills Memorial Park, 4100 Hilltop Drive, on Thursday, Sept. 4 during a burial ceremony at noon.
Back in Sacramento, a Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6 in the Wackford Community Center’s Valley Oak Ballroom, 9014 Bruceville Road, Elk Grove. The Saturday service will be live streamed online at wosesac.org.