DID WE DIS BLACK HISTORY MONTH?

[Ivory Fair]

Ok now Aba, when the crazy-folk lurkers come by and start whining on some other board about how I'm a racist, I'm gonna expect YOU to protect me!!!

[sukkafu]

so, my distinguished african -american board members, are you saying that black history month is really a waste of time? is it necessary to prove anything to others, or is it just to validate worth to the black community, which by all accounts has not made strides economically, socially, educationally, politically, like they did in the 50's-early 70's?

the folks on this board are of the highest quality and have great standards as a whole. i see that nisha, and angel niece, and tdal, and aba, and mikey, and cadeho, and southern niece ,and ken-du, and the others too, are my dear friends, and you are living it daily! i know! i feel it and experience it with you -every day i am witness to marvelous expressions of opinions and truths!

i'm wondering about the lost sheep out there -with jail for school, mom or dad not available, and what is black history to them?

in south central l.a., failed black businesses were bought out and reopened by arabic, korean, and latino
folks who have made them successful.

statistically speaking, there are less nuclear african american families than any other culture or race in the united states of america.

what history should be taught-politically?should it be
about the politics of eldridge cleaver, symbionese liberation army, black panthers, angela y. davis,
malcolm x,louis farrakhan,al sharpton,jesse jackson, sista souljah?

or mlk jr.,ralph bunche, j.c. watts, alan keyes,clarence thomas,thurgood marshall? booker t. washington, w.e.b.dubois, george washington carver, alex haley, crispus attucks, not going into the entertainers.

do kids need to feel pride about their color? i know a few african american ladies who are upset because african american men are choosing to marry women of other races. so what? we are all humans!

i am of sicilian italian descentfrom both parents- but yet, sicilians are mixed with moroccan blood from when the moors invaded. so i guess i have some northern arabic- african blood way back in the lines.
elise is of puerto rican descent from both parents.
yet she has african blood from her mother's side, arawak/taino indian blood from father's side, and spanish and french blood also. most of you've seen our kids' pictures- the ''mixture'' came out right! more important, they're just like anybody else-sometimes nice, sometimes a pain in the a.... ;D

[sukkafu]

another interesting thing is when i talk to my son james'
biological family-they're good folks-they have lots of cherokee blood in them.

my friend alonzo coleman is black from chicago, and his wife is italian from chicago, and they have 2 great boys, and alonzo's grandma was fullblooded cherokee.

does that make alonzo an african american indian american? or an african -native american american?
or how about their kids- are they still african american?

the native americans consider you an indian if you have 1 drop of indian blood. is that too ridiculous or is that ok?

[tdallasw]

Celebrating Black History Month is not a waste of time - it's a great way to pass down the legacy of those who struggled to make our lives easier - but you are right in saying that we shouldn't limit our learning to just one month out of the year.
It is very important that we continue to educate and emphasize the positive contributions of so many wonderful people in our country's history. But it doesn't stop with African-Americans. We must open our minds to learning about all of the many cultures that come together in this big melting pot we call the United States of America. Learning more about Native American, Central and South American, Asian, Eupopean, and African history and culture would help us all to understand how truly wonderful this country really is.
Sukka - you said James has Cherokee ancestors... well, we all know about how badly the US Government treated the Cherokee people. Native Americans, sadly, were/are treated very unfairly in our country. The story of the Trail of Tears is one that should embarass us all. Not to take anything away from Italian-Americans - but I'm happy they are putting less emphasis on Columbus 'discovering' America. I think Native American culture is some of the most fascinating and would love to see us focus on learning about it sometime other than at Thanksgiving.

[sukkafu]

my mom had a t shirt that she was proud of -1492-1992-500 yrs of columbus-but my wife wasn't happy because puerto ricans feel columbus brought disease that wiped out the taino indians, and robbed them of their culture.

one person's celebration-another person's sadness.

[iratherlikeme]

James Meredith said that if the Cherokees were still around he'd be their leader.

I'm not saying that Black History Month is a waste of time, but only giving black history the time of day during February doesn't make much sense to me. That's like saying it doesn't hold any real significance, because it's not celebrated any other time. I wonder if people think they're doing black folks a favor when they put up a couple of posters for those 28 days. And that's with any other group or culture, not just black people.

[Nish]

I'd personally prefer to see Black History discussed in the course of history rather than this removed area of history. Segmenting it makes it seem as though Black history affects only black people when it CLEARLY doesn't.

And as far as what black political view should we teach, I think you teach them all. As much as I think Booker T. Washington was a political wimp, as much as I think the Black Panthers were sexists, i think these and all other political views should be taught (just like we are taught about the federalists/antifederalists, etc.), because we don't just think one way, and I think being able to critically evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of differing views sharpens your written argumentation skills, coming from a strictly pedagogical point of view.

[sukkafu]

southern niece, and nisha, good points.

i think it's another form of segregation. like they have with latino history month.

saw a great movie last night that we have. it's called the color of friendship -a disney channel movie from 2000 that is a true story about a congressman from calif. named ron dellums who was anti apartheid and he ends up hosting an exchange student from south africa who is white. the girl didn't know his family was black, and he was expecting a black south african. the tension
was thick at first and both sides made great friends. it was during 1977 when steven biko was killed in jail.

[earthangel]

I got some of that Cherokee blood in me too, Sukkafu! I've been meaning to watch that movie but I always miss it. Yeah, I agree, black history is a year-round thing and it shouldn't be limited to 28 days. Of course, attending something shown in February to honor black history month isn't bad either. Like a play. Some theatres only show plays like that during BHM

[sukkafu]

well angel niece, you are just a southern squaw!

[DramaLJDiva]

I agree about Black History being celebrated all year long and not just one month per year. By honoring the achievements of great African Americans, we are celebrating Black History (and Black Future and Present as well).

[DramaLJDiva]

People spend way too much time worrying about why their people (whether they are Black, White, Hispanic, Greek, Italian, Asian, etc...) date "others". Why does it matter? It doesn't mean the person is disrespecting their "own kind". Sometimes they are attracted to a particular person because of their quality characteristics. Besides, we all belong to the HUMAN race.

[sukkafu]

i know! but unfortunately the real world is wack

i have lived in nyc, long island,colorado, california.
i have lived in mixed neighborhoods, all white neighborhoods, all black neighborhoods, all korean neighborhood, all latino neighborhood.

i have dated a haitian woman, several mexicans, peruvian, ecuadorian, cuban, puerto rican, african american, el salvadorean, filipinos, and white.
i 've married white and now pr/black.

they all eat the same way, sleep the same way, and have the same needs and desires.
just like changing cell phone colors!

[earthangel]

I think those who have a problem with interracial relationships are jealous and think that whoever the person dating outside their race is disses their own ethnic group by choosing to date someone of another race. Maybe it makes the say, "Hmm, look at Joe. He's dating that white girl Susy. Maybe a black girl isn't good enough for him". I certainly dont feel this way, but maybe thats how those who have a problem with it do

[Peach]

Two points....

As far as dating other races....the way I see it, good looking comes in *all* colors! My simple explanation.

And, as far as Black History Month, I agree it should be a year-round thing. But here is an example where it has done some good. I grew up in Windsor, Colorado... a city with little cultural diversity. My first taste of Motown was The Osmond Brothers singing "Motown Special." (I do not lie, people.) Anyway.... I was rarely around anyone of color, save for a fairly large Mexican-American population. My daughter....it's similar for her. I hate it, but it's true. She gets her history here at home, with me..... mainly because of the music I love, and because I think it's important. If there wasn't Black History Month, I shudder to think how often she would get taught about *any* other cultures at school. We didn't have Black History Month when I was her age--I think I learned about MLK, Jr. in high school. Sad stuff, people.

So.....I guess what I'm saying is..... I wish it was more, but I'm glad there is at least *something* for the children in this little town. What she is missing out on, I make up for at home.

I hope this makes sense....

Peach