Home Invites Members Groups Events Directories Videos News Photos Blogs Forums Chat
Home > Blogs > Post Content

My history is not black (482 hits)

February is the month officially designated to celebrate all that is Black in history in America. This is the time that the rest of the nation steps back, acquiesce to our request for alone time and watch us step out in unhinged celebration. There will be dinners and functions, programs and marches; books will be read that that are normally tucked away in seldom visited sections of libraries all over this country. For all of this I am grateful but also puzzled. I ask, is my history really black?

Consider this: the contributions made in America by slaves and their descendants are no more apart from American History than are those made by slave masters and their children. Our contributions are woven tightly into the fabric of American History; the strands brilliant and outstanding, courageous and strong. Our history is your history; equally, your history is mine.

Although we are often divided on issues; we sometimes deprecate one another, insult and misunderstand each other, our hand in building this America is singular. What former slaves and their children have done in and for this country contributed to the building of America--my America. Your America. We all strive for the same things: freedom, a right to be seen, heard, respected and treated with dignity. Our way of getting such things is often unalike and sometimes even hostile but our humanness should transcend our hostility.

We all thrive on the provisions of one another, even when we refuse to acknowledge the souls that have made such provisions.
The babies my great grandmother cradled and fed, the big houses she cleaned and the clothes she scrubbed were not her own. But those children grew to be strong and viable, the houses were kept immaculate and the way of living for her master was made easier. Likewise the language we speak and the laws by which we abide were not created by Black Americans, yet we abide by those laws and seek to create equality through them. It has taken citizens great and small to establish a nation that has remained a bastion in the world for more than 200 years. We cannot deny each other.

To join us as we celebrate those who were brought over on slave ships and bravely adopted this country as their own as not a separate celebration. For as you recognize our history you also celebrate your own.

History isn’t necessarily sweet or flowery. No, in many aspects it is brutal, despicable, embarrassing and painful to remember. But it is truth and cannot be changed or altered. But it is the way we face such truths that uproots us from our comfortable spaces and causes the scales to fall from our eyes. It is only when we begin to look at each other and see a reflection of ourselves that we can begin a sincere dialog. It is when we acknowledge this truth that we will begin to understand what makes us think and feel and act in the manner in which we do.

To deny Black history as American history is to broaden an already growing disparity between our races. A people who will not be heard will always be misunderstood. Celebrate with me, learn with me, discover and be in awe. My history isn’t black, my history is American.
Posted By: Dee Graham
Tuesday, February 5th 2013 at 1:02PM
You can also click here to view all posts by this author...

Report obscenity | post comment
Share |
Please Login To Post Comments...
Email:
Password:

 
More From This Author
And They Live Happily Ever After: Tips on Writing Your Story’s Conclusion
Sometimes you get a second chance, but why wait?
This is Your Year!
Forward This Blog Entry!
Blogs Home

(Advertise Here)
Who's Online
>> more | invite 
Latest Photos
>> more | add
Latest Member Activity
pam perry just posted a blog entitled 'spring has sprung - time for renewel'. 06:53PM
pam perry just posted a blog entitled 'spring has sprung - time for renewel'. 06:53PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'coming soon?... black phoenix!'. 08:13PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'happy new year chocolate pages network!'. 12:14PM
dr.haneen foaud just became a new member. 05:24PM
pam perry just posted a event entitled 'national bestseller author kim brooks’ captivating ‘he’s fine…but is he saved?’ theatrical debut'. 06:31PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'the teaser is here! the teaser is here!'. 08:13PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'coming soon!'. 07:41PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'groiup book promos ending tomorrow!'. 08:53PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'august group book promotions are here!'. 07:30PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'july group book promos ending!'. 03:48PM
cortez law iii just posted a blog entitled 'july book group promos!'. 02:48PM
>> more | invite friends