ht wish to ponder the prominence of African-Americans who are unfamiliar to most. Might those whose names we do not know from the past, and in the present, be representative of the young Black "boy" whose parents protected him, punished him, and did not honor him, or acknowledge his accomplishments?
Please ponder the draftsman, engineer, and inventor, Lewis Howard Latimer who worked as the original draftsman for Thomas Edison. Scientist Latimer invented an electric lamp with an inexpensive carbon filament and a threaded wooden socket for light bulbs. He also helped advance our current conversation, when he drafted the patent drawings for Alexander Graham Bell's telephone. Yet, American's, for the most part do not memorialize the man who allowed us to chat more freely. Black Americans' History, a month of homage? Let us talk.
Might many have thought purplish-brown Americans arrived in 1941? When the United States went to war, Doctor Charles Richard Drew was named Director of the Blood Bank for the National Research Council. His expertise, allowed America to collect blood for the American Armed Forces. The groundwork for the American Red Cross, blood collection, and procedures that allow for the storage of plasma are attributed to this African-American. Yet, few know his name.
White patriarchs were, and are, perhaps more prominent in the minds of many who have forgotten the tale of the young lad and his adopted parents. In America, absentmindedness for a prideful past affects our present.
The African-American man or woman who sits beside his Anglo brethren is not segregated by homage to history. A lack of awareness, acceptance, and praise for a people divides America.
Perhaps the question Americans might ask is not whether to set aside days to discuss the trials and tribulations of Black people. The query, instead, might be, is colormuteness characteristic in a country segregated, not by Black History Month, but by the actions of man. Could it be that citizens wish to claim American culture is a colorblind. In a nation where racism remains rampant, albeit politely restrained, and better hidden, would Americans rather not remember the glorious history of Black brothers and sisters?
Certainly, a commemoration of feats and foibles, trials, and tribulations will not divide the country as much as ignorance of our past and present does.
References for race relations, and a reality too long restrained . . .
- A History Lesson in the East Room, By Rachel L. Swarms. The New York Times. February 18, 2009
- Learning to treat Negroes like human beings. The Landover Baptist Website. July 2000
- Delonas for Wednesday February 18, 2009. New York Post. February 18, 2009
- U.S. Is a 'Nation of Cowards' on Race, Says Holder, By Bernie Becker. The New York Times. February 18, 2009
- Month robs blacks of part in U.S. history, By Cynthia Tucker. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Sunday, February 08, 2009
- Yes, We Still Need Black History Month, By John Ridley. Morning Edition. February 17, 2009
- Is Black History Month already history? Well, it depends, By Clarence Page. Chicago Tribune. February 15, 2008
- Oprah is course focus and jumping off point for study of race issues. By Andrea Lynn. University of Illinois. February 1, 2001
- cablinasian like me, By Gary Kamiya. Salon. April 199
- New York Post Chimp Cartoon Compares Stimulus Author To Dead Primate, By Same Stein. Huffington Post. February 18, 2009
- Unbound: Profiles in Black History. Charles Drew. 1904-1950