Kaenai
Passion_Dragon
[I think it's inspiring to think about more "recent" black people who may be talked about in the future, too. I used to dislike Akon, for example. But then I read an article about him in Vibe magazine's November 2005 issue (yes, the one with wanna-be hard Bow Wow and sickeningly adorable Ciara on the cover). xp People look up to him where he's from (Senegal, Africa), and I now see why. 3nodding ]
haven't stopped by this thread in a while...
Akon has a lot to say, but somehow, our people don't want to hear it unless it has a good beat. i think my generation has a lot to do with it, since i know i tend to not discuss such things as much as my mother did, while being astounded at how little my kids know about Black History.
My cousin's husband is from Senegal, and he talks about it often. I'm stunned sometimes, just listening to him, and realizing that in what is supposed to be the richest, free-est (sp?) country in the world, how woefully ignorant we as a people are about our own history.
Snippets: Sakanouye Tamura Maro, a Black man, became the first Shogun of Japan. This is written off by many historians, who nitpick by saying he was 'Negrito' and not a Black African, but if this is true, then why does the kinky hair and Black skin resemble so much that of the Black African who migrated all over the globe during prehistory, from the coasts of Africa and back again?
HINT: find a book called "Distinguished Negroes Abroad," by Beatrice J. Fleming and Marion J. Pryde and find the chapter called, "The Negro General of Japan--Sakanouye Tamurarmaro." Also, anthropologist Alexander Francis Chamberlain wrote an essay entitled, "The Contribution of the Negro to Human Civilization."
King Memnon (of Ethiopia), who fought at Troy, was described as having been "black as ebony, and the handsomest man alive". The Black Knight really was a Black man.
And all they tell our kids is that we were ignorant savages until they came and enslaved us, and gave us a reason to want to be better.
Little did they know, but we already were.
[The youth of the nation have a difficult time hearing anything without a "good beat." xd But truth be told, it's been that way for generations. I think that's why rap and hiphop were so popular with black people: because at first, all it was was information/enlightenment put to a new beat for the most part. That's the only reason I ever listened to Marshall Mathers. He said what he had to say (eventually...after Slim Shady died down) without all the shoutouts of product names and bling. And some of it actually made you think. Imagine that, eh?
We sadly aren't very knowledgable about our own history in this country, no matter what race we are. The average black person only knows what is force fed to them during Black History Month and nothing beyond that. We are about more than slavery. Black history (and before that, African history) didn't begin with the slave trade, I agree.
But I think that's just the way a lot of Americans are, including white people. A caucasian kid might quickly declare/flaunt/brag that they are Irish or Italian, and not know one bit of history beyond a potato famine and a Fettuccini recipe.. xd
Like the Boost Mobile commercial: "It ain't where you from. Where you at?"
That's the main concern these days. neutral How rich and famous are you going to get worrying about slavery and inequality, civil rights, the invention of peanut butter and all that history junk?? stare
But let's be real: It really is true that those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. Maybe you won't be sold into slavery just because you never bothered to learn about your culture's history, but the attrocities of the past can today affect you on a smaller scale...
I will definitely look for that book. 3nodding ]
We sadly aren't very knowledgable about our own history in this country, no matter what race we are. The average black person only knows what is force fed to them during Black History Month and nothing beyond that. We are about more than slavery. Black history (and before that, African history) didn't begin with the slave trade, I agree.
But I think that's just the way a lot of Americans are, including white people. A caucasian kid might quickly declare/flaunt/brag that they are Irish or Italian, and not know one bit of history beyond a potato famine and a Fettuccini recipe.. xd
Like the Boost Mobile commercial: "It ain't where you from. Where you at?"
That's the main concern these days. neutral How rich and famous are you going to get worrying about slavery and inequality, civil rights, the invention of peanut butter and all that history junk?? stare
But let's be real: It really is true that those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. Maybe you won't be sold into slavery just because you never bothered to learn about your culture's history, but the attrocities of the past can today affect you on a smaller scale...
I will definitely look for that book. 3nodding ]
