Parlé With Us - Black History Month
Black History Shaped the World
Black History is World History
As the month of February comes to a close, it must not slam the door on the appreciation of Black History. For throughout the year, we must always reflect on the contributions and impact that African Americans continue to have on the United States and ultimately to the world. Each year, we all should strive to expand and refresh our knowledge of Black history and the storied impact of Black culture. From Jesse Owens to Jackie Robinson; Rosa Parks, Malcolm X; Martin Luther King, Michael Jackson and yes, President Barack Obama, each has shaped this country and the world in their own personal and public way. Consequently, Black American History is truly American History. Since America leads the free world and Blacks helped to build this country, then Black history is also World History. It's a proud and beautiful legacy. It's also about time that we give it the credit it deserves.
The Future of Black History
Today instead of highlighting the accomplishments of just one individual, let us consider Black History itself, its progress. Throughout our history African Americans have made many contributions, and some very significant ones at that. Yet, somehow I feel that that there was more productivity, in terms of contributions made, when the liberties we now take for granted were the goal. Somehow we have become distracted with all the addictive technologies that we slave to acquire. We have so much untapped talent that needs to be exposed. Yet with the tremendous potential we harbor we procrastinate instead of being proactive. Many want to be millionaire as a life dream but when that becomes a reality, it’s like now what? Well, become a billionaire of course. It seems as though our life long dream was to have an African American president. That dream has become a reality and is already a part of our history. I ask you, now what?
There is a time to work and there is a time to rest. We must not only look back on our history this month but we must also look forward at our future. Black history month therefore is not only to be proud of what we have done but to also plan what we will do with the inspiration we have derived. We are sitting on a gold mine when gold is in demand and fetches a nice price. “To whom much is given much is required.”- The Creator. Let us publish our books, produce our screenplays, launch our small businesses, revolutionize our industries, increase the effectiveness our operations and get back on track with the quality or our contributions. Those individuals whom we will celebrate throughout this month have set a high standard for us to uphold, and dare I say raise. Those worthy of mention have merely opened the door for us as a people, but we as a people need to go through the door and grasp all the opportunities that there abound. Let us stop eating the lotus flower. I encourage and thank all of you who are sacrificing your own pleasure and entertainment to consistently contemplate your responsibilities, concentrate on your goals and cultivate your skill set in order to deliver a superior product.
Today instead of highlighting the accomplishments of just one individual, let us consider Black History itself, its progress. Throughout our history, African-Americans have made many contributions, and some very significant ones at that. Yet, somehow I feel that that there was more productivity, in terms of contributions made, when the liberties we now take for granted were the goal. Somehow we have become distracted with all the addictive technologies that we slave to acquire. We have so much untapped talent that needs to be exposed. Yet with the tremendous potential we harbor we procrastinate instead of being proactive. Many want to be millionaires as a life dream but when that becomes a reality, it’s like now what? Well, become a billionaire of course. It seems as though our life long dream was to have an African-American president. That dream has become a reality and is already a part of our history. I ask you, now what?
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson – The Prodigy Astronomer
Neil deGrasse Tyson – The Prodigy Astronomer
Imagine having one of the world's most famous scientists ask you to attend one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Wait, there's more. You're 15 years old, he's Carl Sagan, a world-renown astronomer, and the school is Cornell University. Well, that is exactly what happened to Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium.
Dr. Tyson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York City on October 5, 1958. His parents were Cyril and Sunchita Tyson. Cyril was a sociologist and human resource commissioner for a New York City Mayor, and Sunchita was a gerontologist. Neil attended the Bronx High School of Science and passionately studied astronomy. He made a name for himself in the astronomy community by giving lectures at the age of 15.
Even though Carl Sagan, a faculty member at Cornell at the time, contacted Dr. Tyson to make a pitch for his attendance at Cornell, Neil chose Harvard University instead. There, he majored in Physics, was a member of the crew team as a Freshman and lettered in wrestling in his Senior year. After receiving his B.A., Dr. Tyson went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin were he won a gold medal along with the dance team, in the International Latin Ballroom style. He began a doctoral program but transferred to Columbia University where he earned a PhD in Astrophysics.
As director of the Hayden Planetarium, Dr. Tyson has removed Pluto from its place as the ninth planet in our solar system. He made the controversial decision to change Pluto's classification to “dwarf planet.” Hate mail ensued but his assessment was upheld by the I.A.U. The reasoning is that terrestrial objects should be grouped together; gas giants together and Pluto with other like objects.
The author of several popular astronomy books, Tyson has also written for Natural History magazine, a column titled “Universe.” He has also held a Presidential appointment on the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry and on the Presidential Commission on Implementation of US Exploration Policy (also known as the Moon Mars and Beyond Commission). He also received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Dr. Tyson's ability to communicate his passion for astronomy is not confined to writing. He has also hosted the PBS miniseries Nova and has appeared regularly on the series The Universe, which can be seen on the History Channel. There have also been numerous media appearances on The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NPR and CNN.
Dr. Tyson lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
So, the next time you look up at the stars, think of Neil deGrasse Tyson and know that no dream is out of reach no matter how far away it may seem.
Imagine having one of the world's most famous scientists ask you to attend one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Wait, there's more. You're 15 years old, he's Carl Sagan, a world-renown astronomer, and the school is Cornell University. Well, that is exactly what happened to Neil deGrasse Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium.
Introducing The NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was established on February 12, 1909. The organization's mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
It was originally called the National Negro Committee. The NAACP played a very important role in the civil rights movement. The NAACP was such a powerful organization that in 1946 they won the Morgan vs. Virginia case where the Supreme Court banned states from having segregated sections on busses and trains that crossed through out the states and borders. Then in 1950, head of the NAACP legal department, Thurgood Marshall won his case in the Supreme Court when he asked for all state universities to provide equal facilities for students of all nationalities.
The NAACP has had quite a few members who are very well known today in history. One of the many is Rosa Parks, a black woman who refused to give up her seat in 1955 to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery Alabama. Her decision to not give up her seat began the Montgomery bus boycott which had 17,000 followers. This bus boycott was organized by Martin Luther King.
Today the NAACP is still one of thee largest supported organization groups ever since 1909.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was established on February 12, 1909. The organization's mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.
The Story Behind Black History Month
2011 marks the 86th year that this great country has annually acknowledged in the month of February the achievements of its African American population. Blacks and Black History Month has come along way in that short span of time. What started out as “Negro History Week” back in 1926, fifty years later became what we now know as “Black History Month”. In my research I was unable to uncover the reason for the extension but one can only speculate that it became obvious that our multitudinous contributions could not be covered in just one week. And, now we are able to add to that long list of inventions, records broken, etcetera; the boastful fact of an African American President of these United States.
Negro History Week was the second week of February between the Birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The week long celebration was started by Dr. Carter G Woodson who was the son of former slaves. But, even with his humble beginnings Woodson went on to earn a PhD from Harvard University. (The first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard University was Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, who founded the NAACP on the 12th of this month 1909, and whose birthday is on the 23rd). Dr.Woodson began the Negro History Week after becoming dissatisfied with the lack of presence that African Americans had in the history books. The week was designed to bring to the attention and magnify the accomplishments of African Americans. It has achieved that and more especially after evolving into a month long celebration.
Thankfully we now know what may have otherwise been hidden or merely passed down like a bad game of telephone with inaccurate information. Now young African Americans can review the accomplishments of other individuals that had the same “limitations” in terms of skin color, and yet still made significant contributions. With this insight we should be empowered realizing that the real limitations are now limited to each individual and we have more access and opportunities than ever before even to the doors of the White House. We should never play the race card considering this rich history of ours even if it is abundantly clear that a situation is racially motivated. I am sure that if President Obama had lost the election we would have said that it was because he was black. But he didn’t lose and that takes the excuse out of our mouths. We can tell our children that they can be anything they want to be if they set their mind to it and this includes areas we have not yet touched. We can be the first in many more areas as we have been the first in so many already.
As we celebrate our history of accomplishments throughout the balance of this month let us teach our children and each other. Let us review the impact African Americans have made to daily life. When you comb your hair, tie your shoes, pass through a stop light or even use a remote remember and appreciate those who made it possible.
2013 marks the 88th year that this great country has annually acknowledged in the month of February the achievements of its African American population. Blacks and Black History Month have come along way in that short span of time. What started out as “Negro History Week” back in 1926, fifty years later became what we now know as “Black History Month”. In my research I was unable to uncover the reason for the extension but one can only speculate that it became obvious that our multitudinous contributions could not be covered in just one week. And, now we are able to add to that long list of inventions, records broken, etcetera; the boastful fact of an African-American President of these United States.
Frederick Douglass - A Slave's Will To Be Better
Taking time to honor historical African-American figures throughout history is not only a privilege but a necessity as we should all understand the current things we as people experience would not have been possible without individuals in our past who contributed in the building of life as we know it now. One individual in particular is Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Douglass was born in the United States of America during the slavery period. In his autobiography “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” he states not even knowing when exactly he was born. Imagine not really knowing where the starting point of your life is? During his childhood, Douglass also dealt with being separated from his mother, being raised by his grandmother until she passed away, and working as a slave.
During his early teen years he was taught the alphabet, which ultimately led to his desire to learn to read. Even though an educated slave was looked at as unacceptable and even punishable, this would not stop Mr. Douglass’ thirst for knowledge. Slaves weren’t allowed to go to school and learn how to read and write in a traditional manner at the time, so Mr. Douglass would find other methods to pick up the information. Mr. Douglass would read books whenever possible, and he would learn from the neighborhood white kids as well. Once Frederick Douglass was capable of reading and writing he would hold Sunday school sessions with other slaves teaching them how to read and write as well.
Frederick Douglass would ultimately escape from slavery where his passion to see slaves freed would grow tremendously. Frederick Douglas would go on to become a great speaker for slavery to be abolished altogether. Not only speaking in the United States but also travelling to other countries gaining supporters who would support the cause of freedom for everyone as well. They would provide financial resources, which Mr. Douglass used to own and operate newspapers used to speak out against slavery.
Frederick Douglass would spend his remaining years lecturing, writing, and serving in political positions, all with the goal of freedom for everyone.
Taking time to honor historical African-American figures throughout history is not only a privilege but a necessity as we should all understand the current things we as people experience would not have been possible without individuals in our past who contributed in the building of life as we know it now. One individual in particular is Frederick Douglass.
