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Apr. 7, 2005 Most black youth have a limited knowledge of black history. Outside of slavery, the underground railroad and Martin Luther King, these young people lack information pertaining to the richness of our history and the seriousness of our struggle. Little emphasis is placed on the social organizations of the 70’s. Moreover, during Black History Month we fail to emphasize the fact that black history continues to be made. History books have not been kind to the many unsung black heroes, such as the Black Panthers, Stokely Carmichael, Robert F. Williams and Marcus Garvey. Nor do they address the issues surrounding the riots of that era, the injustices perpetrated by U.S. courts, or Government spy programs like COINTELPRO. The history of lynchings and slave revolts are skipped over, as is the Harlem Renaissance. Little is taught about the Back to Africa and Black Arts movements, the struggle for black economic independence and empowerment (in particular, the nation of Islam’s economic model) and how music of the 60s and 70s took on a political and social tone. Collegiate curriculums aren’t much better. In short, if young blacks are to learn more about their history, we must rely less on schools and more on families and social institutions—black churches, reading and writers groups, social service agencies, etc.—to convey this information. I recently purchased for my son a copy of the Richard Wright classic “Black Boy.” We will spend the summer reading through it (along with my eleven-year old daughter) and discussing it. Next up will be Robert F. Williams’ autobiography, “Negroes With Guns,” and Ralph Ginzburg’s “100 Years of Lynchings.” Black history is more than slavery (P.O.W. camps) and Civil Rights marches. I believe in examining the mentality of the men responsible for our captivity. This means telling the whole story. Recently I was invited to speak before a class of eighth grade students. The class was composed of mostly black and Latino students. Many of the names and events I spoke of—Nat Turner, The Scottsboro Boys, Emmett Till, Bill Russell and the United Farm Workers movement—had never been heard of! In fact, these kids were so engrossed in the storytelling they asked me to come back the following day. On day two we talked mostly about rap music, sampling and how musicians such as James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Gil-Scott Heron and Stevie Wonder wrote about racial inequality. I even played Scott-heron’s, “Inner City Blues (The Siege of New Orleans).” Hearing it for the first time they thought it was hip. I realized that if this generation of children were exposed to the lesser known elements of our experience their minds would soak it up like a sponge. I was reminded of how hungry young people are for knowledge. Tragically, too many are receiving the wrong messages from rappers and other entertainers. Twenty years from now will black children remember Dr. Cornel West, Condoleezza Rice, Maya Angelou, or Russell Simmons? I’m willing to wager that their parents will regale them with takes on Usher, 50-Cent, Snoop Dogg, Nick Cannon and other irrelevant celebrities. A friend and I are in the formative stages of creating a reading group comprised of black males, tentatively named BLACK (Broader Landscape of Afro-Centric Knowledge). We will seek to address this very issue. First on our to read list, Haki Madhubuti’s, “Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?” ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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