It’s time for Black History, Not Black Trivia

-          Robert Hillard Patillo II, Esq.

“Early one morning a long, long time ago Martin Luther King woke up and told Abraham Lincoln to free the slaves.  Later that day Dr. Kind decided Brown v. Board of Education with his brother Thurgood Marshall and integrated all of the school.  Then, for lunch he ate peanuts from George Washington Carver and had the Montgomery Bus Boycott with his friend Rosa Parks ending segregation.  People were mad at them, so Dr. King and his friends marched from Selma to Montgomery and then to Washington, D.C. where he gave the ‘I have a Dream’ speech around 3 pm and everyone realized that they should act like brothers.    Later that night, Dr. King and Jackie Robinson passed the Civil Rights act so that everyone could finally be equal.  However, one man was mad and shot Dr. King around 6 pm.  But because of this everyone was so united that around 9 pm they elected President Obama and Dr. King’s dream was fulfilled!”

This is what is passed off to Americans as “Black History” during Black History Month each year.  A centuries-long struggle for social, political, and human rights is taught as if it occurred in one day.  Generally it goes something like this: “Did you know that a black man, Nathaniel Alexander, was the first to patent the folding chair?”  Or that ”C.B. Brooks invented the street sweeper in 1896?”   How about that “John Love invented the pencil sharpener in 1897?” This is not history.  This is Trivia.

I do not contend that these are not interesting tidbits; however, they do not go towards telling the true story of Black People in this country and on this globe.  The entire reason for Black History Month is to recognize the achievements of black people and to inspire the next generation to follow in those footsteps.  Certainly we can do better than this.  So, to quote Curtis Mayfield, “Pardon me, brother, while you stand in your glory, I know you won’t mind, if I tell the whole story.”

For guidance on telling our story, let us turn to the curriculum used to teach any other history course.   Usually a course will examine thematically the major issues confronting the subject group during the period of time studied.   It will also analyze the main events and major figures of the group by exploring social, cultural, political, and economic developments as to gain a greater understanding of the events and modern day impact of such.  By way of comparison, that Georgia Washington chopped down a cherry tree and had wooden teeth is trivia.  The fact that he was our first President and led a nation in forging a new destiny is history.  There is a difference.

We have sanitized our history to the point that it betrays our struggle.  There is no mention of “Radical Reconstruction” when the first black Congressmen and Senators walked the halls of Congress.  Or the Hayes-Tildan compromise, when the Republicans betrayed black people for political advantage beginning a century of Jim Crow and Klan rule in the South.  We make no mention of “Black Wall Street” or the “Tulsa Race Riots.”  No mention of the bloody quasi-race war that swept the country in the late 19^th and early 20^th century that had W.E.B. Dubois sitting on his porch with a shotgun fearing for his life.

We are afraid of our own history and therefore are doomed to repeat it.  I say this not as a warning but as a diagnosis of our present state.  If you look at the current condition of Black communities around the country, why not apply the solutions that have worked before?  Why not apply the principle of the Harlem Renaissance to Detroit today? Or of Auburn Avenue in the 1960s to Auburn Avenue now?  As long as we refuse to educate the next generation, black and white, about the true nature of black history, then America can never achieve true equality.

Simply put, to quote Curtis again, ”Pardon me brother; I know we’ve come a long, long way. But let us not be so satisfied, for tomorrow can be an even brighter day.”

Robert Patillo is an Attorney and commentator at The Patillo Law Group, LLC in Atlanta, Ga.  He can be reached at 706-464-9839 or via email: rpatillo@robertpatillo.com. www.robertpatillo.com

from erelease

Dr. Lowery will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom as announced by President Barack Obama. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s top honor for a civilian.

Other recipients include Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. The awards will be presented Aug. 12.

by A.man.I

Though Morris Brown College is far from out of the financial woods, the institution cleared a major hurdle when a huge water bill due to the city of Atlanta was recently paid off.

The college still needs major help though. Here’s an e-release forwarded to My Urban Report:

Atlanta, GA (March 20, 2009). Water runs freely at Morris Brown College; the final water bill has been paid. “We still have miles to go . . . we cannot sleep,” said Bishop William DeVeaux, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “The Trustees have been meeting around the clock to find the best solutions that work for the financial stability of our college. We are at the threshold of a new Morris Brown, with a global approach to education; and this financial challenge was – and is – our priority before we can move forward and work toward a renewal of our founding mission.”

On Thursday afternoon (March 19, 2009), Morris Brown College paid the final $64,887.32 of its long standing $380,000 indebtedness with the Atlanta Watershed Department that threatened to shut of the water on the 34 acre campus. The college remains financially challenged and must meet its monthly obligations. Financial stability is the one obstacle that stands between Morris Brown and reaccreditation.

Also, on March 19th, Morris Brown celebrated the 128th Founders Day at Big Bethel AME Church. During the Founders Day observance, $41,000 was raised from alumni, board members, and supporters who gathered at Big Bethel, the original site of the founding of Morris Brown. Reverend Daryl Kearney, Pastor of 3rd Street- Bethel AME Church in Richmond, VA was the guest speaker. Reverend Kearney offered to hold a walk-a-thon to raise funds for Morris Brown when he returns to Richmond. The National Alumni Association, under the leadership of George Hopkins, National Alumni President, also held its annual meeting during the Founders Day activities.

The SUNDAY of HOPE, which is being planned on March 29th for Morris Brown College, will take place in the churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout Georgia appealing for prayers and contributions. The Reverend Dr. C. T. Vivian, who initiated the “Yes We Care” campaign, continues his efforts to inspire church leaders to participate and to join in making a commitment to the legacy of Morris Brown. “We are taking our story to church leaders requesting that they send out a call to their congregations asking personsl who believe in social responsibility and stewardship to give, in support of students who seek and deserve the nurturing environment at Morris Brown, said Dr. Stanley Pritchett, Acting President of Morris Brown College.

How to contribute to Morris Brown:
Donations will be received at Morris Brown College; in addition, donations may be made to Morris Brown by sending a check, payable to the “Morris Brown Recovery Fund,” to Capitol City Bank, 562 Lee Street, SW; Atlanta, GA 30310, or by visiting any Capitol City Bank Branch located at 2358 Cascade Road, SW Atlanta; 5674 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain; or at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Suite S-4. Donations can also be made on line at www.morrisbrown.edu.

Morris Brown was one of my first production clients when I relocated to Atlanta, and I hope they’re able to succeed.

Morris Brown College Urgent Campaign
Produced/Written/Directed by Amani Channel
Edited by John Wheatley
Narrator Charlie Channel
Director of Photography Ngiao Killingsworth
Videography Amani Channel

by A.man.I

TheRoot.com asks if Black History Month is a moot point now that Obama is President. It’s no secret that Black History is interwoven with American History. The question is, do we still need a month to recognize the contributions of those who’ve succeeded despite all of the obstacles? What do you think?

This isn’t good news for former Atlanta radio personality Porsche Foxx. Fulton Co. fire investigators are looking for her after a fire destroyed a Union City home.

Check this link to see what happens when high fashion goes horribly wrong.

by A.man.I

On April 11, NBC “Today” show Correspondent Tiki Barber hosts a documentary special on MSNBC called, “Meeting David Wilson.”

The program tells the story of a 28-year old man from Newark New Jersey who learns about his family’s slavery history.

A 90-minute discussion on racial issues in America will follow.

“Meeting David Wilson” airs at 9pm.

by A.man.I

I’ll take a moment to show some love to America’s beloved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Everyone should try to stand as tall as he did for his beliefs.

I visited the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN back in January 2007, with anchor Terrance Bates.

The King Papers exhibit. Atlanta, GA

by A.man.I

Sure it’s technically Black history month, but one month is hardly enough time to dedicate and remember all of those who’ve paved the way for us. Plus, American history is Black history, but that’s all I’m going to say about it.

I’m going to dedicate this month to the first Black newspaper ever published in the U.S. It was called Freedom’s Journal, and was published by Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm. It debuted on March 16, 1867, and the motto was “Righteousness Exalteth a Nation.”

I learned about the newspaper last semester when I was researching the role newspapers played in the abolition movement for a journalism history class at Georgia State. If you’re interested in learning more, you should check out “Freedom’s Journal: The First African-American Newspaper” by historian Jacqueline Bacon Lexington.

Like many of the independent writers (should I say bloggers) today, a lot of the early newspaper publishers worked for little and had to scrape by. They were often financed by donations from the community, and sympathetic whites.

It was more a labor of love, obligation, and a desire to counter the many mistruths that were being spread by the “mainstream” press about the Black community (It makes you think that some things really haven’t changed a whole lot).

Check out the link below to see how the Freedom’s Journal looked:

Freedom’s Journal Vol. 1.

Check the Wisconsin Historical Society for more issues of the paper.