Dadisi Sanyika was an educational facilities planner, teacher, artist, writer, traditional African drummer and dancer, researcher, astrologer, ordained metaphysical minister, social activist, martial arts master, and philosopher. He was born November 30th, 1948, in Los Angeles, CA. He was raised in the South Central area of Los Angeles, and attended Los Angeles City College and California State University Los Angeles.
Professionally, Sanyika was the Director of Facilities Planning at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science for 15 years. Outside of this, he was involved in a number of endeavors and held multiple positions including: the Artistic Director of Dembrebrah West African Drum and Dance Ensemble, Director of Black Gnostic Studies with the Aquarian Spiritual Center, founder of Golden Thread Productions (an African Aquarian Cultural Educational Inner-Attainment Company), co-founder and editor for the Knowledge Broker newspaper, practicing astrologer, founder of the Malcolm X Community Youth Center, founder of the Watts Community Policy and Planning Institute, and teacher at Christ Unity Center in Los Angeles and the African Cultural Research Center in Long Beach.
As part of his interest in metaphysics and occult philosophy, Sanyika was closely aligned with the Aquarian Spiritual Center and Bookshop in Los Angeles, studying there for twenty seven years, and acting as the Director of Studies from 1985-1991. Founded by Alfred and Bernice Ligon, the center was prominent within the black community. They hosted the first black history classes offered in Los Angeles, the founding of the US organization, Community Theater, occult philosophy lectures and classes, and black authors' autograph parties. In 1969 Sanyika and others from the Spiritual Center developed Black Gnostic Studies. They concentrated on the connections between metaphysical thought and Ancient African cultures including those in Egypt and Ethiopia. From these studies came the concept of Blacks as "Seed People" (the source of life and culture).
Dadisi Sanyika passed away on January 28th, 2005 at the age of 56.
