Donel Williams
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: Opinion
http://media.www.chaffeybreeze.com/...ion/Black.History.Is.Depressing-2723909.shtml
Years ago my grandparents and their friends braved German shepherds and fire hoses. The instant that happened they became a part of black history.
Now that it's Black History Month, I feel the pressing need to bring that up everywhere I go.
But, after watching several reruns of Sanford and Son, I started thinking, and if you know me, you know it's dangerous when I decide to use my brain. Do we really need a month to celebrate and learn about the different cultures of the people that reside in this country?
Are the history books in our public school system so outdated that there is no curriculum on anyone but the Caucasian contributors to this country?
Sure, you open a history book and see names like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, and (insert any leader here). But, do the same names we learn about still hold the same meaning after all these years?
Depends. Give me some new black history please! It wouldn't kill you to teach me about people I know of yet know nothing about. Hell, I was watching Sanford and Son, so teach me something about the dude that played Lamont.
I want to know more about Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points - and allegedly sleeping with thousands of women.
Who was the brother that invented the Afro pick? Was it a brother that invented the Afro pick?
Another thing: stop depressing me. It sucks. Life as a black man might go a little easier if I didn't get all this pressure put on me every February. I always get some old lady telling me stories about Dr. King or Malcolm X and how she used to throw her panties at Sam Cooke back in the day. That last one had nothing to do with the point, but it was very funny to me so, oh well.
Why isn't George Washington Carver's name on one jar of peanut butter? For God's sake, you mean neither he, nor anyone in his family could capitalize on that opportunity? I mean, if Peter Pan can have his own brand of peanut butter, and Donald Duck has his own orange juice, and Popeye has his own chicken joint, why couldn't Carver get his own brand of peanut butter?
But back to what I was saying. I hate - I mean can't stand - February.
Remember how good the Bulls were when they had Jordan? I feel like I'm on that Chicago team after all the good players left. Unfortunately, the team is now in a rebuilding mode. Now, the current players such as myself have to hear all these stories of greatness about the past regime, and it doesn't exactly make us feel good.
We know of and appreciate the sacrifices they made for us, but are we expected to duplicate what they have done? The talent potential is there, but we're still young. The game has changed so the old school way isn't going to work anymore.
There are still some players from the old school around (Sharpton and Jackson), but they've become journeymen, like a pair of Julio Franco. Just like Julio, they can kind of get the job done, but at times you wonder why they don't just bow out.
After all these years of having images of slaves with gashes in their backs, a teenager mutilated beyond recognition in Money, Mississippi, and Dr. King's assassination seared into my mind, it's difficult to forget.
I get it!
However I'm just a regular guy. Stop holding me up to the standards of the extraordinary men and women who made it OK for me to be, well, just ordinary.
Issue date: 2/20/07 Section: Opinion
http://media.www.chaffeybreeze.com/...ion/Black.History.Is.Depressing-2723909.shtml
Years ago my grandparents and their friends braved German shepherds and fire hoses. The instant that happened they became a part of black history.
Now that it's Black History Month, I feel the pressing need to bring that up everywhere I go.
But, after watching several reruns of Sanford and Son, I started thinking, and if you know me, you know it's dangerous when I decide to use my brain. Do we really need a month to celebrate and learn about the different cultures of the people that reside in this country?
Are the history books in our public school system so outdated that there is no curriculum on anyone but the Caucasian contributors to this country?
Sure, you open a history book and see names like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, and (insert any leader here). But, do the same names we learn about still hold the same meaning after all these years?
Depends. Give me some new black history please! It wouldn't kill you to teach me about people I know of yet know nothing about. Hell, I was watching Sanford and Son, so teach me something about the dude that played Lamont.
I want to know more about Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points - and allegedly sleeping with thousands of women.
Who was the brother that invented the Afro pick? Was it a brother that invented the Afro pick?
Another thing: stop depressing me. It sucks. Life as a black man might go a little easier if I didn't get all this pressure put on me every February. I always get some old lady telling me stories about Dr. King or Malcolm X and how she used to throw her panties at Sam Cooke back in the day. That last one had nothing to do with the point, but it was very funny to me so, oh well.
Why isn't George Washington Carver's name on one jar of peanut butter? For God's sake, you mean neither he, nor anyone in his family could capitalize on that opportunity? I mean, if Peter Pan can have his own brand of peanut butter, and Donald Duck has his own orange juice, and Popeye has his own chicken joint, why couldn't Carver get his own brand of peanut butter?
But back to what I was saying. I hate - I mean can't stand - February.
Remember how good the Bulls were when they had Jordan? I feel like I'm on that Chicago team after all the good players left. Unfortunately, the team is now in a rebuilding mode. Now, the current players such as myself have to hear all these stories of greatness about the past regime, and it doesn't exactly make us feel good.
We know of and appreciate the sacrifices they made for us, but are we expected to duplicate what they have done? The talent potential is there, but we're still young. The game has changed so the old school way isn't going to work anymore.
There are still some players from the old school around (Sharpton and Jackson), but they've become journeymen, like a pair of Julio Franco. Just like Julio, they can kind of get the job done, but at times you wonder why they don't just bow out.
After all these years of having images of slaves with gashes in their backs, a teenager mutilated beyond recognition in Money, Mississippi, and Dr. King's assassination seared into my mind, it's difficult to forget.
I get it!
However I'm just a regular guy. Stop holding me up to the standards of the extraordinary men and women who made it OK for me to be, well, just ordinary.