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Wednesday, February 8, 2012 | 8:16am
[RANT] Eff It, Let’s Scrap Black History Month
Its the most boring exercise in repetition and futility there is.
Maybe its just the cynic in me but I’m a little bored by Black History Month. Don’t get me wrong, I get it. How else would kids know about the contributions of W.E.B. Dubois, George Washington Carver, Crispus Attucks, A. Langston Taylor (look him up) Benjamin Banneker and others without the yearly reminder that its time to break out the brown crayons and construction paper to do a book report on the same crop of dead African Americans. Ok that sounds bad.
There are some other more well known names such as the Dr. Kings, Rosa Parks, Harriett Tubman, and Malcolm X’s of the world that otherwise wouldn’t be household names without this exercise of repetition. Hell, some would argue without this level of perennial positive reinforcement we wouldn’t have realized we were black and somehow have been confused into voting for the other guy instead of Obama in 2008. Clearly this isn’t going well is it?
My point is that Black History is boring. Especially when we can’t be bothered with doing enough research each year to honor and remember any more than a few additional names outside the aforementioned. Sh*t we bellyache about February being the shortest month, we barely can get up off our ass to start the ceremonial roll call on time. Its usually right around the time the groundhog sees his shadow that someone says “OH SHIT” I gotta change my Facebook profile pic to Frederick Douglass. I can remember a time when Highbrid Nation would go all out and post some factoids on some obscure but interesting Black History figures from days gone by but in the end, no one cared. I’d look at the Google Analytics and realize the only visits were by people who accidentally clicked on it instead of the Fat Back that preceded it.
I think, and I’ve said this before, out heroes of yesteryear wanted us to learn a lesson that we still haven’t. Instead we just copy and paste the lesson into WordPress and illustrate it with a cute pic. What Dr. King and so many others wanted us to do was look forward. Stand on the shoulders of the past but honor the future. Give our future the best opportunity to be successful that we can. The Aryans have a belief that the white power movement should lead the charge in creating a “White History Month.” In fact its not necessary. We’ve just got our head stuck so far up our history’s ass that we can’t see straight ahead of us. Do I really mean scrap it? Probably not, remixing it might be a good idea. But imagine how much you’d ufk Heads up if you started calling it Black FUTURE month.
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Im all for scrapping black history month here on the Nation in order to bring back Fat Back. Can I get an Amen from the Congregation. I want to see fat Back come back….
To really do “Black History Month” some justice, people have to look to themselves and actually delve into black history. Find out what intrests YOU and find out about the African Americans who made contibutions in that field. If you complain about only hearing the rhetorical and force fed, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., then, as in most things in life, you have to find out for yourself.
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Let’s start a forum here. I see a picture Madame CJ Walker up there. She was the first self made, American Woman Millionaire, NOT just African American, but AMERICAN WOMAN. Earned her millions in the hair care and beauty business. She is arguably the Orpah Winfrey of her time.
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Let’s Talk about another one, Lewis Latimer. It can be said that without Lewis Latimers help, the invetions of the light bulb and the telephone would not have come to be invented so quickly. He drafted the drawings necessary to patent the telephone with Alexander Graham Bell then, went on to invent and patent the a early model of the slow burning light filament, pushing through the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison.
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Let’s keep knowledge flowing.
But see that was my point. When I was highlighting obscure African American contributors to AMERICAN history of the past… no one really cared. It was rather ho hum.
Yeah Juan, Everything is about peeking interests at a particular time. Look at Public Enemy, one of the best Hip-Hop groups ever. If their music came two yesr later or two years before it did noone would care.
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Do I care that a black man invented the ice cream scoop? While interesting, I really don’t. I’m latose intolerant, and ice cream gives me gas. Now, since I make my bread and butter off of the electronics, communication, telecommunications field, Lewis Latimer is like a demi-GOD in my book. Very few adore a long winded rant. So, If you justy bombard someone with facts, about matters that may concern them but, they are not concerned with, they will discard it as bullshit.
Understood.
Well here’s what Carter G. Woodson (who himself should be looked into) believed to be the creator of Black History Month, said:
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“We’ll be able to celebrate the lives of even the most obscure black figures such as Alfred L. Cralle, inventor of the ice cream scoop. Or perhaps Lonnie Johnson, inventor of the Super Soaker. Or even more obscure, Valerie Thomas who invented the illusion transmitter, a futuristic type of television that projects 3-D images into your very living room. Look out for it to catch on in a few years.”
I can go on an extensive rant on why I don’t like Black History Month, but nobody wanna hear that ish…one thing: “they” still control who we should learn about, admire or emulate. It’s the same people every damn year!!! like the ones you mentioned, Juan. There are Black institutions who will dig a little deeper and highlight an unknown great Black person in history. But that person only becomes better known to the few that still care to read this BHM stuff…….
You know what, Don’t tell me shyt about whom I should admire. The message is so controlled and all the people sanctioned by the powers are made to be saints! Malcolm X was out of the mold, but they will quickly talk about how he “saw the light” and rebuked the NOI and was murdered by them for it. LIES! The American White Man is a Masterful LIAR and MANIPULATOR! He got it from his daddy, the Brittish White Man! … yeah I said it!!! …. This is how they managed to steal and control the lands outside of their native lands, the CAUCUS Mountains. And you see their work everywhere. And where there are Black/Brown in power, you best believe they are in control behind the curtain. Just look at those countries’ finances/economies. They have the leders in their pocket! And anyone who stands in their way is removed/wiped out. Do I really have to cite examples?! ….. So, FUCK this weak-ass Black History Month B.S. I’m done now!
I had to look twice at the handle sounded like a 2NA$$TEE rant.
LOL!!!! Yeah that was a 2NA$$TEE style rant right there.
Did some1 say my name like Destiny Child, Lol as I have always said me and E.L. had 2 have been brothers or life looooong classmates copying off each other paper in another life Lol. Black History Month is a joke no1 black even cares 4 it. Plus no kids now care 4 any information that will educate just how can I make my pockets Phat(Counting these Rocks Beeeeyotch!!) .I looove hearing or reading about African American accomplishments because u never hear much about it but I bet u some1 can tell me what rims look good on a 78 Caprice classic or a 80-82 Buick Regal. When KKKasper GIVES US the Martin Luther King Holiday, Black History Month what do we do…. nothing but sit around maybe watch Malcolm X or watch “YOUR LOCAL” Martin Luther King parade on TV .Making history means your making things happen be it in sports,music,business,science and medicine,politics,justice etc. We have become so zombie like in our comfort zone of technology and mass media we depend on them 2 tell us what our History should be….2 quote PE our story is real History not HIS….STORY.
I say i would only get rid of Black history month when we have or history seen as American History and put in the books in the same time line as everyone else. I am tired of Black history month as a means of separation. But it needs to be there if it is not going to be talked about our contributions in this country.
I think you hit on a key point which actually allows me to understand and elaborate on EL’s earlier point a little better.
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The powers that be would have us believe that the only contribution that black folks have made is in civil rights, basically the betterment of ourselves.
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To expand upon your point NTS5, in order for that to happen we need to continue to focus our attentions and shed led on the contributions of black folk to general society. What have we done as a race that makes everyone’s lives better, not just our own. If not, as you’re stated wit becomes separatist.
I agree. I think that we should fight for equal representation while we are are enjoying our taxation. LOL But really i get tired of hearing about The Spartan 300 hundred without out hearing about the ZULU. Or Hearing about Alexandr Gram Bell with out Lewis Latimer or Granville T. Woods or Dr. Daniel Hale Williams or Madame CJ Walker and many many others. That help invention in Heart surgery to Drafting braking systems for trains and hair products… I am just saying that we have been apart of this Fabric and not just as slaves. But even then helping with the discovery of the vaccination of small pox. There is a lot there that If taught with the other history would help give a better complete American history and then there would be no need for a national Month. I would also say that we are getting more exposure for our Models and beauty i think Miss Black America could leave also.
‘…the American white man is a masterful liar and manipulator…’
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I refuse to accept unearned guilt.
Man I believe we should take Black History Month into our own hands to school the next generation…I mean, its not liek they teach it much in school anyway…I remember being in school and we got a piece of Black History but it was always taught by white teachers…When I fianlly got a Black teacher she really clued me in on some things…With the white teachers, all I heard was Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, a lil bit of Crispus Attucks only because he was the first person killed that started the Revolutionary War, Fredrick Douglas, and Harriet Tubman…Once I got a Black teacher and she taught it I learned a whole lot more…Also, I went out and learned some things on my own…That is what I am teaching my kids…I have a 10 y/o and she has only had 1 maybe 2 Black History projects since she has been in school…My 6 y/o is actually learning a lil something this year by the teacher reading them a book a day about an important Black figure and I get told about it everyday at the dinner table…I’m actually proud of that…But Black History is so much more then 28 days and 29 every 4 years…so I feel we need to grab this next generation by their freaking bootstraps and slam their freakin heads in a computer to learn something about their legacy and heritage that is so widespread and so powerful…Maybe these knuckleheads will actually have someone to look up to and strive to be like instead of looking up to the Lil Waynes and have their pants hanging off their asses…
Yeah, I agree with you Juan, I think that more needs to be mentioned than jus’ the same names that are always mention. I think that a Black History Month remix is a great idea. PEACE!!!
Born and raised in St. Louis but here is something interesting I did not know and probably would never know had the paper not been posting articles pertinent to BHM:
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/obituaries/woody-zenfell-dies-oversaw-construction-of-arch-while-fighting-to/article_69fb0f25-8d49-51d7-a8f3-3f8d88e90322.html
Good stuff
That is some good stuff…
I stumbled across this sight as I was looking for new people to use for my first grade class.
I just wanted you to know as a teacher I am looking for other black people to learn about instead the same ones you mentioned here that feel have been repeatedly mentioned in classrooms all around the country. I am using some more recent people like Bill Cosby, Opray Winfrey, Jesse Owens and I found one from the past Jan Metzeliger that I never knew about. I am a white person trying to encourage our younger children to look every where for how black have made black people have made an impact and contributed to our society. I understand how you feel about hearing the same ones come up and they are important but so are the others whom you dont hear about. Thanks for allowing me to share my views with you.