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Musings in Black History Month
Rev Dr Mervin Stoddart
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
When Carter G Woodson instituted Negro History Week in 1926 in the USA, he was trying to fill the gaping void of knowledge about African-American history among all Americans. Woodson's Mis-education of the Negro explained three reasons why such commemoration was necessary then.
First, through white racism, black Americans were extremely ignorant of their African origins and of their history in the Americas. Second, the majority of white Americans were misinformed and even more ignorant than blacks concerning African-American history. Third, the white ruling classes had propagated and institutionalised much false information about black history and white history, necessitating correction.
Shamefully, 50 years later, during their bicentennial year, the US Congress (the institution mostly responsible for the lies and lack of information about blacks) admitted the need to extend Negro History Week to Black History Month in February.
That action alone confirmed that the problems which Woodson had highlighted still existed; and had even worsened so that a whole month of celebration was needed to put a dent in it. Well, another 32 years later, Black History Month is still being celebrated and its raison d'etre still exists. Greater shame is that Black History Month is now celebrated in other countries, as the US, with help from European allies, globalises institutional racism, aka white supremacy. It should be clear to all black people by now that in 2008 the white man's genocide, slavery, apartheid and segregation have evolved into the Euro-American terror war.
White people should be ashamed of themselves for perpetrating the atrocities of their ancestors using 21st century methods, even while refusing in most cases to apologise and in all cases to pay reparations for slavery, lynching, Jim Crow and other demonic acts of barbarism.
Despite their hypocritical talks about morality and democracy, the US, Israel, The Vatican, Britain, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, and other white supremacist nations reflect perfectly today what Alex Haley said in Roots (1976) through his character Uncle Mingo: "Nothin' don't make no difference to mad, scared white folks!" Having dealt with some sincere ones, I refuse to accept the idea that all white folk are incapable of being anything but demonic since they evolved from the demon-human hybrids or Nephilim of Genesis chapter 6. Thus, I have concluded that greed, fear and deep feelings of inferiority (especially lack of melanin) are the main causes of the racist behaviours of whites, epitomised by Hitler, George W Bush, and other such characters.
Two things still puzzle me. First, given the clear teachings of the Christ about love, how could white churches and preachers so ably promote white supremacy from slavery days until today without being told to "go to hell" by non-white audiences? Second, how do white people still manage to get black folk to assist them in their perpetration of racism in its kaleidoscopic forms?
For example, it was a black man who conned the United Nations into idly watching Bush's bombing of Iraqi babies in 2003; and a black woman is now Bush's spokesperson in validating the Israeli genocide against Palestinians.
Strangely, the main black man running for US president has said nothing yet about what he will do to dismantle the US neo-slavery system known as its penal and justice institutions. Was it part of the Willie Lynch-plan to have a half-black man presiding over the greatest white supremacist system on earth?
That leads me to Jamaica, mentioned by Haley in Roots, and the political garrisons now festering there. With blacks ruling, is it relevant for Jamaicans to celebrate Black History Month? Evidently, white countries produce the AK47s, M16s, etc, used to murder Jamaicans and somehow those weapons get into Jamaica. However, there are no Massas whipping Jamaica's murdering idiots into killing their own people in the names of drugs, gangs, and politics. Is there white pressure being brought to bear on Jamaica's politicians who cowardly refuse to dismantle their garrisons and to take, adequately, bold steps to rein in murderers?
Ultimately, the masses might have to rise up in the spirits of Paul Bogle, Sam Sharpe and Nanny of the Maroons to force politicians to tear down those garrisons. Jamaica's gunmen don't have to let the system make them kill their own brothers and sisters, as Bob Marley sang. Hungry and jobless people can seek food and jobs without murdering their innocent countrymen.
This reminds me of Haiti's hero François Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture whose slavery revolt resulted in what Haley said in Roots: "Whites still alive were in hiding places or trying to flee the island." Yet, there is no current Caricom protest to free Haitians from the starvation, kidnappings, rapes, murders and other atrocities now being perpetrated by the US, France, and Canada against blacks in Haiti, under the watch of UN and other occupation troops.
My musings this Black History Month end although the half has never yet been told about worldwide economic enslavement of blacks; white crimes in Africa; brown skins versus dark skins and skin bleaching in Jamaica; and systematic under-education of blacks in America. In the US, some whites and many blacks are currently thinking that a black man nominated as Democratic presidential candidate or US president means American racism has ended.
That is tomfoolery. It might take Armageddon to end US white supremacy which, like South African apartheid, could even persist when whites become a minority this century. Paulo Freire warned that oppressors do not end oppression voluntarily.
So black people cannot give up the fight as long as for them it remains true what Marley said: "No chains around my feet/But I'm not free." Meanwhile, whites everywhere should heed Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and other prophets who demanded an end to racism and gradualism, or else some day the world will be celebrating White History Month.
Rev Dr Mervin Stoddart is a freelance writer out of Florida.
INMerv@hotmail.com
Rev Dr Mervin Stoddart
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
When Carter G Woodson instituted Negro History Week in 1926 in the USA, he was trying to fill the gaping void of knowledge about African-American history among all Americans. Woodson's Mis-education of the Negro explained three reasons why such commemoration was necessary then.
First, through white racism, black Americans were extremely ignorant of their African origins and of their history in the Americas. Second, the majority of white Americans were misinformed and even more ignorant than blacks concerning African-American history. Third, the white ruling classes had propagated and institutionalised much false information about black history and white history, necessitating correction.
Shamefully, 50 years later, during their bicentennial year, the US Congress (the institution mostly responsible for the lies and lack of information about blacks) admitted the need to extend Negro History Week to Black History Month in February.
That action alone confirmed that the problems which Woodson had highlighted still existed; and had even worsened so that a whole month of celebration was needed to put a dent in it. Well, another 32 years later, Black History Month is still being celebrated and its raison d'etre still exists. Greater shame is that Black History Month is now celebrated in other countries, as the US, with help from European allies, globalises institutional racism, aka white supremacy. It should be clear to all black people by now that in 2008 the white man's genocide, slavery, apartheid and segregation have evolved into the Euro-American terror war.
White people should be ashamed of themselves for perpetrating the atrocities of their ancestors using 21st century methods, even while refusing in most cases to apologise and in all cases to pay reparations for slavery, lynching, Jim Crow and other demonic acts of barbarism.
Despite their hypocritical talks about morality and democracy, the US, Israel, The Vatican, Britain, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, and other white supremacist nations reflect perfectly today what Alex Haley said in Roots (1976) through his character Uncle Mingo: "Nothin' don't make no difference to mad, scared white folks!" Having dealt with some sincere ones, I refuse to accept the idea that all white folk are incapable of being anything but demonic since they evolved from the demon-human hybrids or Nephilim of Genesis chapter 6. Thus, I have concluded that greed, fear and deep feelings of inferiority (especially lack of melanin) are the main causes of the racist behaviours of whites, epitomised by Hitler, George W Bush, and other such characters.
Two things still puzzle me. First, given the clear teachings of the Christ about love, how could white churches and preachers so ably promote white supremacy from slavery days until today without being told to "go to hell" by non-white audiences? Second, how do white people still manage to get black folk to assist them in their perpetration of racism in its kaleidoscopic forms?
For example, it was a black man who conned the United Nations into idly watching Bush's bombing of Iraqi babies in 2003; and a black woman is now Bush's spokesperson in validating the Israeli genocide against Palestinians.
Strangely, the main black man running for US president has said nothing yet about what he will do to dismantle the US neo-slavery system known as its penal and justice institutions. Was it part of the Willie Lynch-plan to have a half-black man presiding over the greatest white supremacist system on earth?
That leads me to Jamaica, mentioned by Haley in Roots, and the political garrisons now festering there. With blacks ruling, is it relevant for Jamaicans to celebrate Black History Month? Evidently, white countries produce the AK47s, M16s, etc, used to murder Jamaicans and somehow those weapons get into Jamaica. However, there are no Massas whipping Jamaica's murdering idiots into killing their own people in the names of drugs, gangs, and politics. Is there white pressure being brought to bear on Jamaica's politicians who cowardly refuse to dismantle their garrisons and to take, adequately, bold steps to rein in murderers?
Ultimately, the masses might have to rise up in the spirits of Paul Bogle, Sam Sharpe and Nanny of the Maroons to force politicians to tear down those garrisons. Jamaica's gunmen don't have to let the system make them kill their own brothers and sisters, as Bob Marley sang. Hungry and jobless people can seek food and jobs without murdering their innocent countrymen.
This reminds me of Haiti's hero François Dominique Toussaint L'Ouverture whose slavery revolt resulted in what Haley said in Roots: "Whites still alive were in hiding places or trying to flee the island." Yet, there is no current Caricom protest to free Haitians from the starvation, kidnappings, rapes, murders and other atrocities now being perpetrated by the US, France, and Canada against blacks in Haiti, under the watch of UN and other occupation troops.
My musings this Black History Month end although the half has never yet been told about worldwide economic enslavement of blacks; white crimes in Africa; brown skins versus dark skins and skin bleaching in Jamaica; and systematic under-education of blacks in America. In the US, some whites and many blacks are currently thinking that a black man nominated as Democratic presidential candidate or US president means American racism has ended.
That is tomfoolery. It might take Armageddon to end US white supremacy which, like South African apartheid, could even persist when whites become a minority this century. Paulo Freire warned that oppressors do not end oppression voluntarily.
So black people cannot give up the fight as long as for them it remains true what Marley said: "No chains around my feet/But I'm not free." Meanwhile, whites everywhere should heed Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and other prophets who demanded an end to racism and gradualism, or else some day the world will be celebrating White History Month.
Rev Dr Mervin Stoddart is a freelance writer out of Florida.
INMerv@hotmail.com
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