Black History Is America's History
The proposed Washington D.C. memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is just one of the reasons why everybody should know African American history. While Dr. King gets his due in history books, other deserving African Americans do not. From the dawn of civilization in Africa and the wonder of the pyramids; across to an America built on the backs of African slaves; on to the civil rights movement, in which African American struggle won social justice for all people, black history is American history, and it should be taught comprehensively.
A group of proud and determined students in Philadelphia bravely stood up to the status quo in 1967 and demanded that African American history be a course offering. They'd be proud to know that today, it's a graduation requirement.
I celebrate the 39th anniversary of Philly's black student movement in this week's column. Knowledge is power. For all people.
posted by Annette John-Hall at 2:28 PM
4 Comments:
Your column today was terrific. The first few paragraphs reflect my feelings about organized religion almost exactly. The point you made about confusing religion and spirituality is exactly right. Religion has grown more and more into yet another political instrument.
I tend to find my spirituality internally, through thought and prayer. While I believe the key to spirituality is found in the teachings of Jesus and other spiritual men and women of peace, I can no longer believe the Bible is necessarily the complete or actual word of God. I find it easy to imagine scenes taking place in ancient times where the power brokers of the day, leaders in the world's churches, decide on how best to market to and control the people within their reach through religion. It seems that so much of the history of the world was strategically manipulated by men of power and wealth, almost solely for the purpose of increasing their power and wealth.
Religion as a big business is just sad to me. I am amazed at the numbers of people who buy what is being sold out of churches who have political and economic agendas in plain sight. Religious leaders hide behind the church, or the churches they start, enjoy tax considerations (like any big business does), and snuggle up to the politicians for more favors. The big money seems to trade hands in those two circles in an endless loop, and the basis of it all is the quest for more power and more money. The immoral behaviors uncovered in the huge organizations like the Catholic Church have much in common with the immoral behaviors found in the churches begun by today's snake-oil salesmen. To me, they are all businesses, not much different from the Fortune 500s, looking for new customers and new marketing strategies. When the simple Jesus-like message of "love one another" was no longer bringing in the revenues (because, perhaps, people had pretty much figured that out and no longer needed the church to reinforce the message on an ongoing basis), they had to take on another strategy, as you so correctly pointed out - that of marketing to our unfortunate "need" to judge others that are either unlike us, or maybe too much like the people we are afraid we might be. That is much like the political far right and left.... most people are moderates, but the way to more power and more money is to appeal to the customers with fire and brimstone. And the whole idea is to raise money to enhance your power base, which helps bring in more money.....
When the Catholic Church pedophilia tragedies came to light, my simple mind came up with the theory that perhaps men with those urges, who are somehow still considering themselves religious beings but highly conflicted, became priests in the hope of finding God and asking God to put aside those urges and "cure" them. Since the Catholic church needs priests, the screening process for prospective priests is (maybe) either non-existent or easily side-stepped. When these men realized that they cannot be cured through divine intervention regardless of how sincerely they wanted to be, and that victims are easily accessed, and that the church will protect them in order to protect their bottom line, the horrors snowballed. I have other issues with the Catholic church (I was not raised Catholic, but my wife was and my daughter was confirmed in the Catholic church), mostly concerning the unrealistic expectations of chastity, the obvious hypocrisies and influence of money, and the exclusion of women as priests.
Anyway, forgive me for rambling with my own thoughts. It felt good to put them in writing, though!
Thank you for a provocative column. It was a great read!
Beautifully stated - "...black history is American history, and it should be taught comprehensively." William Grant Still (1895-1978), for example, was an African American who was also a quintessentially American composer. He wrote not only the "Afro-American Symphony" but music for television, radio and films. He scored major musicals, including "Rain or Shine" and "Runnin' Wild", and wrote several operas on American themes as well as one on Haiti, "Troubled Island". Still composed the Theme Music for the 1939 World's Fair. The Theme Committee listened to music on file at CBS Radio without knowing the names of the composers. Both of their two favorite pieces were by Still, and he was selected.
Still was not the first African American composer of a World's Fair theme, however. In 1933 Florence B. Price's "Symphony in E Minor" was played at the Chicago World's Fair after winning a Wanamaker Prize in 1932. Never before had a symphony composed by an African American woman been performed by a major symphony orchestra.
Philadelphia's Francis B. Johnson (1792-1844) was the first major bandmaster in the United States, and was hired by both majority and minority group organizations to play at social dances and at military marches. His band encountered racial violence at times, and its members were arrested for being free persons of color in St. Louis, Missouri. Johnson and his band played a prominent role in the hero's welcome given General Lafayette on a return visit to the U.S. in 1824. One of the compositions played on the occasion was Johnson's "Honor To The Brave: Gen. Lafayette's Grand March" (3:57). It can be heard on Music Masters 7029-2-C (1990), played by The Chestnut Brass Company and Friends. After the band visited Europe (1837-38) it introduced Philadelphians to the hugely popular "Promenade Concerts", the forerunners of today's outdoor pops concerts. William Grant Still, Florence B. Price and Francis B. Johnson are among 53 Black composers, conductors and instrumentalists who are profiled at my website, www.AfriClassical.com Over 100 audio excerpts can be heard at the Audio page of the site.
Word!
THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ALL RACES, ESPECIALLY CLEMSON STUDENTS!!!!! PLEASE READ THIS
I am appalled, hurt, and disappointed at a group of Clemson University students calling themselves Delta Iota Kappa (DIK)[THIS IS NOT A REAL FRATERNITY]. On Monday, January 15, the morning of MLK Jr. Day(and MLK’s actual birthday), this ‘organization’ had the audacity to throw a party for MLK day. This was not a party celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but a party poking fun at African Americans. On the events page of this party, which is still currently on the Facebook, this event’s tagline is inappropriately named “Living the Dream.” The event creators also called for everyone to bring their own malt liquor, and Black and Milds.
While surfing the internet, I also found pictures from this party (SCROLL DOWN THIS NOTE TO SEE IT FOR YOURSELF). Everyone was holding malt liquor, wearing ‘typical black attire’ (fitted caps and jerseys), and smoking Black and Milds. Some even went a step further, with fake “grills”, fake afros, and fake butts imitating Blacks. The most appalling however was the picture of a white man with black paint on his body and a black curly wig. This is Blackface!!!!!!!!! This is BullS###!!!!!!!
This might be okay to some, but to me this is disrespectful to all of those who died for equality. Martin Luther King died….He was murdered for this! You do not under noooooo circumstances have the right to belittle this holiday as an excuse for you to get drunk and dress like ‘niggers’!!!!!! Yes, I am pissed off, but I do not hate them. This just shows what some of the Caucasians at Clemson think of us African Americans.
It would not have been ‘fun’ if we blacks had a redneck party or better yet, it would not have been cool if we would have had a holocaust party. So, this is not cool at all. If we don’t stand up now, then they will continue to celebrate MLK this way and before you know it, somebody will bring a skeleton on a noose at the party (John Hopkins Uni. this happened at their gansta Halloween party).
And to all of you I say this, THE STRUGGLE IS NOT OVER!!!!
RACISM IS REAL AND IT IS AT HOME!!!!!!!
The only way to overcome racism and prejudice is to stand up for your dignity and demand your respect. I will leave you with my favorite quote from Eleanor Roosevelt “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”. Believe in yourself, all of you. To my black people, there is nothing wrong with you if you dress ‘urban’ and you have gold in your mouth. This is you. Never be ashamed.
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