Hello All:
It's amazing, but Black people spend more time looking back and discussing the past than they do building or fighting for the future. I know that we have this rhetoric that "he who does not know his past is bound to repeat it" - but then we study it an nauseum, and still continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. Not only do we not learn from our past errors, when we have saints and sages from the past who had the solutions to our problems, we also fail to implement them.
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| Dr. Carter C. Woodson - Founder of Black History Month |
"We must not allow anyone or anything to diminish or to dismiss the uninterrupted relevance and importance of Black American history, culture and intellectual genius. The “fundamental truth” about the glorious and triumphant history of peoples of African descent needs to be retold and appreciated by all people throughout the world.
We are a proud people. We are an African people. We are the Black family, community, nation and global community. We are a people of the long centuries-long struggle for freedom, justice and equality. Our history did not begin or end with the tragedy and holocaust of transatlantic slavery. The history of African people begins with God’s creation of humanity. We are the original people. Human civilization had its birth in Africa!" CGW
Take Marcus Garvey and Carter G. Woodson for example. Everybody talks as though Garvey's Back to Africa movement is the only Back To Africa Movement that there will ever be. That the principles and means by which he marshaled millions of Black people world wide to join together to build their own businesses, own their own homes and educate their own children to higher standards that the whites had during that time is the only time that can ever happen. So, no one has tried to do it on the scale that he did since then. Yes, we talk about Garvey; we laud the principles of the UNIA - Universal Negro (Black) IMPROVEMENT Association; and if you say, "Up You Might Race You can Accomplish What You Will!" most people know that Garvey said it.
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| Marcus Garvey founder of BACK TO AFRICA and UNIA |
But what is the good of that if we are not taking what works and working it. Why have we wrapped Garvey and his principles and PRACTICES in mothballs, put it on a shelf, and only take it out on his birthday and during Black History Month???
The same is true of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the brother who founded Negro History Week, that later evolved into Black History Month. Our self hatred has led us to make him the butt of stupid jokes such as, "Black history month is the shortest month in the year because the white man always shortchanges us." This ignorance has been repeated by more moronic negro comedians than I care to count. And it's not only a stupid joke, it shows they know nothing about their own history, and have even less respect for it. Since Woodson started Negro History Week to instill pride in Black people for Black people who done great things for Black people, he wanted to honor two men whom he felt had done more to help people - up to that point - FREDERICK DOUGLASS (born February 14) and ABRAHAM LINCOLN (born February 12) - so he chose February as the month to begin honoring Black people.
The stupidity of the whole thing is that he was trying to get us to respect our history - not distort it. Which is why he started the program in the elementary schools where the children could begin to learn about these and other Black historical figures and accomplishments. Woodson had traveled to Africa, the Caribbean and South America and knew first hand that whites were doing everything they could to either destroy or distort Black accomplishments and history. He meant Negro History Week to encompass ALL BLACK PEOPLE - but of course there had to be focus on those in the US because most of the Black teachers had little to no knowledge of Black people outside of the US. In fact, they had very little to no knowledge of the history of Black people in the US. Hence, Woodson would provide them with the material and information for the students - since the white schools weren't going to do so - hence the establishment of the Association of the Study of African American Life and History (of course back then it was "Negro.")
I am sharing two links for you in reference to these two great Black men. You need to study and learn from them. There is a reason these men have been deliberately destroyed - especially Garvey. Whites did not and do not want an educated Black population who knows about themselves, their accomplishment, skills and abilities - especially if it leads to Black autonomy, empowerment and success. It was for this reason that the US and Great Britain conspired to get Garvey out of America because if he took millions of Blacks back home to Africa, it would kill the Brits stronghold on the rubber plantations an other industries in Africa because Africans and African Americans would begin to work together, consolidate their knowledge and produce the products themselves for the good of Africa.
The other reason is because the US would lose its massive subservient base - which would then require them to change their societal levels. At that time Blacks were on the bottom - how dare they now not only stand up to whites, but begin to build their own businesses, start their own schools, own their own homes, upgrade their own communities.
Garvey was taken out of the US to Britain where he had a following, but not nearly as large, and where it was cost prohibitive for Black Americans to travel back and forth between the two countries to support and defend him. I.E. they isolate, incarcerated and lied about him. They used the lie of mail fraud as he reason for jailing him. Then they sabotaged the shipping lines that Blacks were to travel back to African on; and lastly, but most importantly, they lied to an African chief and told him that Garvey was coming to Africa to push him off the thrown so he could take over his people.
Most Africans are not aware of this important glitch in the history of African and African Americans reuniting - some think it didn't come about until around the 60's - but that was the second major attempt (then the US and Russia used Africa for their personal battle ground, and drew ignorant so called African leaders into the fray and forced them to choose sides - when will we ever learn what our Original American Brothers already know: "white man speak with forked tongue?"
So, I'm providing you the links to both Garvey and Woodson - educate yourselves - we have to stop walking around waiting for America to do right by us. It's time we did right for ourselves - or as the brothers said FUBU - For Us By Us -
MARCUS GARVEY:
CARTER G. WOODSON:
And this time when we reunite, let's don't get stuck on stupid and allow caucasian interference or our own ignorance/jealousy/insecurity/fear/greed, or puppet leaders - to destroy it.
Most Africans scholars and "leaders" of today are still trying to live up to a euroamerican standard of business instead of realizing that African prople are COMMUNALISTIC -i.e. they work together - in much the same way the Japanese do - interdependent - not individualistic. Like Japan, Africa is about family - but there have been some who have adopted heinous ways of treating each other - and have resorted to egregious acts against their own people. We have to get back to the real essential residual African Senghor spoke of.
*NOTE: In fact, it was Carter G. Woodson who first pointed out that not only did Africa and Japan have thriving business and trade together - pre the invasion of slave ships from Portugal, Italy and England - but they shared common customs and languages in some of the different tribes. Bamboo, coconuts, rice, certain fruits, as well as crafts were shared between Africa, Japan and China. In fact, Japan tried to warn several African chieftains of the pending invasion of whites but they didn't believe it was possible. The slave trade is what caused Japan to close its shores to all europeans for centuries. (I have recommended that if Africa wants to build its economy, country and people, they should be working with the Japanese - not the Chinese, the Brits or the US. Japan has a sense of quality control, will teach and share, and have a respect for cultures - hope someone from Africa is listening - SMH)
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE QUOTES FROM MARCUS GARVEY - JUST TO WHET YOUR APPETITE:
I simply cannot read Garvey and not quote him - or be inspired by him!
"God Almighty created all men equal, whether they be white, yellow or black, and for any race to admit that it cannot do what others have done, is to hurl an insult at the Almighty who created all races equal, in the beginning. The white man has no right of way to this green earth, neither the yellow man. All of us were created lords of the creation, and whether we be white, yellow, brown or black nature intended a place for each and everyone."
"If Europe is for the white man, if Asia is for brown and yellow men, then surely Africa is for the black man. The great white man has fought for the preservation of Europe, the great yellow and brown races are fighting for the preservation of Asia, and four hundred million Negroes shall shed, if needs be, the last drop of their blood for the redemption of Africa and the emancipation of the race everywhere. "
"God Almighty created all men equal, whether they be white, yellow or black, and for any race to admit that it cannot do what others have done, is to hurl an insult at the Almighty who created all races equal, in the beginning. The white man has no right of way to this green earth, neither the yellow man. All of us were created lords of the creation, and whether we be white, yellow, brown or black nature intended a place for each and everyone."
"If Europe is for the white man, if Asia is for brown and yellow men, then surely Africa is for the black man. The great white man has fought for the preservation of Europe, the great yellow and brown races are fighting for the preservation of Asia, and four hundred million Negroes shall shed, if needs be, the last drop of their blood for the redemption of Africa and the emancipation of the race everywhere. "
"To me, a man has no master but God. Man in his authority is a sovereign lord. As for the individual man, so of the individual race. This feeling makes man so courageous, so bold, as to make it impossible for his brother to intrude upon his rights. So few of us can understand what it takes to make a man—the man who will never say die; the man who will never give up; the man who will never depend upon others to do for him what he ought to do for himself; the man who will not blame God, who will not blame Nature, who will not blame Fate for his condition; but the man who will go out and make conditions to suit himself. Oh, how disgusting life becomes when on every hand you hear people (who bear your image, who bear your resemblance) telling you that they cannot make it, that Fate is against them, that they cannot get a chance. If 400,000,000 Negroes can only get to know themselves, to know that in them is a sovereign power, is an authority that is absolute, then in the next twenty-four hours we would have a new race, we would have a nation, an empire, resurrected, not from the will of others to see us rise,— but from our own determination to rise, irrespective of what the world thinks. "
",,,,,so that others may laugh at us today because we are agitating the question of a free and independent Africa, but tomorrow, who knows, Africa will loom up as the greatest Republic in the world"
If the white man has the idea of a white God, let him worship his God as he desires. If the yellow man's God is of his race let him worship his God as he sees fit. We, as Negroes, have found a new ideal. Whilst our God has no color, yet it is human to see everything through one's own spectacles, and since the white people have seen their God through white spectacles, we have only now started out (late though it be) to see our God through our own spectacles. The God of Isaac and the God of Jacob let Him exist for the race that believes in the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. We Negroes believe in the God of Ethiopia, the everlasting God—God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, the One God of all ages. That is the God in whom we believe, but we shall worship Him through the spectacles of Ethiopia.." (I hope this answers the question about what color is God - we still seem to be hung up on that one - GDW)
",,,,,so that others may laugh at us today because we are agitating the question of a free and independent Africa, but tomorrow, who knows, Africa will loom up as the greatest Republic in the world"
"The Image of God
"The Negro as an Industrial Make-Shift
The Negro's prosperity today, limited as it is, is based upon the foundation laid by an alien race that is not disposed to go out of its way to prepare for the economic existence of anyone else but itself; therefore our present prosperity as far as employment goes, is purely accidental. It is as accidental to-day as it was during the war of 1914-18 when colored men were employed in different occupations, not because they were wanted, but because they were filling the places of men of other races who were not available at that time. NOTE: THAT'S OVER 100 YEARS AGO FOLKS)
Negroes are still filling places, and as time goes on and the age grows older our occupations will be gone from us, because those for whom we filled the places will soon appear, and as they do we shall gradually find our places among the millions of permanent unemployed. The thing for the Negro to do therefore, is to adjust his own economic present, in readiness for the future.
A race that is solely dependent upon another for its economic existence sooner or later dies. As we have in the past been living upon the mercies shown us by others, and by the chances obtainable, and have suffered there from, so will we in the future suffer if an effort is not made now to adjust our own affairs. "
The Negro's prosperity today, limited as it is, is based upon the foundation laid by an alien race that is not disposed to go out of its way to prepare for the economic existence of anyone else but itself; therefore our present prosperity as far as employment goes, is purely accidental. It is as accidental to-day as it was during the war of 1914-18 when colored men were employed in different occupations, not because they were wanted, but because they were filling the places of men of other races who were not available at that time. NOTE: THAT'S OVER 100 YEARS AGO FOLKS)
Negroes are still filling places, and as time goes on and the age grows older our occupations will be gone from us, because those for whom we filled the places will soon appear, and as they do we shall gradually find our places among the millions of permanent unemployed. The thing for the Negro to do therefore, is to adjust his own economic present, in readiness for the future.
A race that is solely dependent upon another for its economic existence sooner or later dies. As we have in the past been living upon the mercies shown us by others, and by the chances obtainable, and have suffered there from, so will we in the future suffer if an effort is not made now to adjust our own affairs. "
We talk about these two great men all the time. I realized that I personally had not read their works in its entirety for quite some time, only snippets here and there - And their relevance is even more serious now, in the 21st century.
I'm posting the links to each of their publications in hopes that you'll take the time to reacquaint yourself with their work - it's applicable in every thing we do - whether private, public or collectively.Both Woodson and Garvey believed that only a slave or a fool expected the enemy to give their children a quality education - it was not in their interest to do so - their concept was to only suit them to learn enough to continue being subservient to them.The philosophies of these two great men are applicable regardless of whether we're in Africa, the Caribbean or the US.MARCUS GARVEY:CARTER G. WOODSON:
STAY BLESSED &ECLECTICALLY BLACKGloriaPS: If the links don't work, they're on Google - interesting, we don't even have our own Black version of Google so that we can at least archive and reference our own culture and writing. SMHLeaving you in the words of Marcus Garvey:
UP YOU MIGHT RACE! YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU WILL!!
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