Last Friday, with Asa at Grandma and Grandpa's, I went to the book store. Hot time in the city. Border's in Gresham isn't the most multi-cultural location I can think of, but they do their best and as I perused the African-American Studies section, I was reminded of something I read on the internet. I have no way to prove this, but an article on Morgan Freeman stated that he hated Black History Month, claiming it was racist to single people out for their race, regardless of the reason. Hmmm-thought provoking.
I was reminded of this, and my distaste for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as I went through that section at Border's. There were numerous books on race relations, and the perceived status of African Americans today. There were even a few books by W.E.B DuBois, Booker T. Washington, James McBride, and the Delaney Sisters. And of course numerous books by the Reverend King. But let me list who was missing:
*nothing on George Washington Carver-he was former slave turned educator/inventor who held dozens of patents and gave us peanut butter...
*nothing on Medgar Evers-a NAACP leader, he was African-American and shot to death on his front door step, leaving behind a family...
*nothing on Sojourner Truth-a literate, former slave who was a published author at the turn of the 18th Century...
*nothing on Rosa Parks...
*or her friend Johnnie Carr-another woman who helped touch off the Civil Rights Movement...
*nothing on Jackie Robinson...
*nothing on Thoroughgood Marshall-the first African-American Supreme Court Justice...
*nothing on hundreds of other people who deserve to be named.
I dislike MLK Day because of what it did to all the other people who fought for Civil Rights-it has made them nothing but a footnote in history. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. may have done a lot of good things, but he sure didn't do them alone.
If I ruled the world, the day in January would be changed to National Civil Rights Day. This way we could include EVERYBODY who has fought for Equality and Justice for all. In addition to the people I listed above, we could then include:
*Eleanor Roosevelt-her support of Marian Anderson was a huge stepping stone for African-Americans...
*Frank Sintra-his support of Sammy Davis Jr. helped break down racial segregation of hotels...
*Cesaer Chavez-for his role in brining the rights of migrant workers to the limelight...
*Jane Adams-she donated her family fortune to help the under-served...
*Margaret Sanger-she believed the poor should have the same options as the rich in regards to reproductive services...
*the unknown people like my grandmother who, upon finding out my mother's "colored" friends weren't allowed in the swimming pool of their apartment, moved her family somewhere else. A single mom on a limited income couldn't have had many options, but she was still willing to stand by her convictions that strongly.
As we wrap up another Black History Month, I ask people to think about that-the Civil Rights Movement. It is not over, but it has come along way, and it took the voice and strong will of hundreds upon thousands of people-not one man with a dream, but a lot of people with the same dream.
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1 comment:
I totally agree with your blog. It takes more than one person to change the world and to single out one individual often down plays the work of the many unknown people who make an equally large contribution in their own way. What makes the Reverend MLK stand out. Timing,PR,luck? I am not sure I can answer that. But perhaps by having one person to specifically focus on we can all take a page from that persons life and follow their lead. In all great movements there must be someone to lead and someone willing to follow. We cant have too many chiefs or too many indians. All we can do is hope that those in the position of chief will always lead to greatness and improvement and those willing to follow will choose their role models wisely. Thanks for a really thought provoking blog and that makes me think of Black History month in a new light.
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