SHOULD THE BLACK MAN BE CELEBRATED?

Article Courtesy of Roseline Johns

The view that mankind is so terribly bound to the dark midnight of racism and war that the bright morning daybreak of peace and solidarity can never become a reality can never be accepted by me. White or black, Negro or Caucasoid we contribute to the success of the society because it is ours. From creation, variety has been the spice of life and humans are not left out. Then why should some “species” be “more equal than others?” (George Orwell).

I would like to take you down memory lane. Otis Boykin; the guy who invented an improved electrical resistor used in computers-radios-television, Charles Brooks-the guy who invented a street sweeper truck, Benjamin Banneker-scientist inventor, writer, astronomer and antislavery publicist who was the first American to build a striking clock, George Washington Carver-inventor of three hundred uses of peanuts and hundreds more uses of soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes even the peanut butter! Frederick Jones-the black man who patented more than sixty inventions, but is best known for inventing an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks, Phillip Emeagwalli- the Nigerian dude who won the Gordon Bell prize for his work with massively parallel computers, programmed the connection machine to compute a world record 3.1 billion calculations per second using 65, 536 processors, and many more in other areas apart from science all have one thing in common. They are blacks? No! a strong No! They had the welfare of the society in mind. That’s it. Let’s take a clue from the radical I have a dream- man.

“There is nothing more dangerous than to build a society, with a large segment of people in that society, who feel that they have no stake in it; who feel that they have nothing to lose. People who have a stake in their society, protect that society but when they don’t have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it”-Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

What makes the black man a black man? It is not the color of his skin; no it is the will, the will to survive in whatever condition the world brings. What makes the black man? It is the ability to turn the not-so-good condition into a utopia of satisfaction and comfort. What makes a black man? The capacity to create peace amidst war; what makes the black man? His loyalty, the loyalty of the black man to the American principle of individual freedom could not be over estimated. Over 5,000 black men fought for the continental Army. Countless number of black women served as nurses, laundresses and cooks. Their role in winning the independence we are all now privileged to enjoy is more just too pivotal to be swept under the carpet of forgetfulness. What makes a black man? He is black. The list can go on and on.

As much as I would love to sing the praises of the blacks, this article would be incomplete if I fail to share the stories of black patriots such as Crispus Attucks, Peter Salem and Salem Poor.

Peter Salem and Salem Poor demonstrated exceptional acts of bravery at battles such as Bunker Hill. Salem shot and killed British Major John Pitcairn and his fellow soldiers presented Salem to General George Washington as a hero. Poor killed a high-ranking British officer, Lt. Col James Abercrombie. Crispus Attucks became a martyr during the revolutionary war and was later a symbol of liberty in fight against slavery.  

Coming down from the high walls of international achievement down to the grass root society, the black man finds his way to affect the society in a positive way. In fact their works in the grass root level is what shoots them to international recognition. The words of the first black president just keep on echoing in my head as I write this article.

“There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America. There’s the United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America.”

Having said the above, then why should they be celebrated? First; for the sake of the historic leaders of the Black community, they need to be celebrated. The sweat of Myrilie Evers, James Meredith should not be forgotten. Second; celebrating them helps us to be better stewards of the privileges we’ve gained, remember the Harlem Renaissance and Tuskegee Airmen. Thirdly, celebrating the black provides the chance to focus on different aspects of African Americans, eradicating the evil spirit of individualism. Lastly; celebrating the Blacks only reminds us all that Black History is OUR HISTORY.

Now tell me should the Black Man be celebrated? Am sure you know the answers to that and that is why we want you to join us Thursday, February 23rd at 6:00pm sharp as we give honor to Black men in our community for their commitment, sacrifices, love for peace and security, passion for order in the society and most of all love for humanity.