ya, but...again, the thread is about a month dedicated to a certain part of history and whether or not or how it can be integrated into common US history....
not really about what we call each other...
Black History Month? Is it separation or just realistic?
by under74 28 Replies latest jw friends
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under74
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mrsjones5
oh it's related in a way. There is a history to the names or tags that black folks have been given directly related to the times they were given:
African American
African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans, Black Americans, or simply blacks, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to West and sub-Saharan Africa. Many African Americans also have European and/or Native American ancestors.
Nomenclature
Terms for African Americans used at various points in history include Negroes, colored, blacks and Afro-Americans. Negro and colored were current until roughly the 1960s, but are now less commonly used and considered by many to be dated, even derogatory. African American, black and, to a lesser extent, Afro-American are used interchangeably today, but often incorrectly.
The term African American as originally coined refers to only those descended from a relative handful of black colonial indentured servants and the estimated 10 to 11 million Africans who arrived in the U.S. as slaves. In slightly broader usage, the term also includes black, West Indian immigrants, whose African ancestors also survived the Middle Passage. "African American" generally does not include Afro-Latinos, who tend to use the term "Latino" or "Hispanic," or to recent African immigrants, who usually adopt country-of-origin identifiers. However, the term properly can be applied to nearly all black citizens of the United States. Despite its literal meaning, the usual usage of the term does not include whites, Asians or Semites of African origin.
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under74
That's a good link and good information Josie....
What I mean is as far as the original post goes, that I posted, it's not really about that (what people are called) ----unless you want to show everyone has been represented equally?????
...although I very much appreciate the input. -
mrsjones5
well I'm not really crazy about having only one month for Black history. It should be everyday and it should be just called American history, which it is.
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under74
I know, me too, but that's what I'm saying....or asking...how can things be different if education in schools isn't?
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MsMcDucket
And DUH! Black immigrants do take the jobs that the americans won't. My mother came to this country at 19 years old who barely could speak a word of english and cleaned public restrooms while she worked her way towards a college degree. But you got middle aged black folks up in the Job Fairs fighting for $6/ hour cashier jobs that I should be getting. I'm the full time college student! You had your chance! What were you doing for the past ten years?! And I'm always the youngest person there. I'm sorry but thats just embaressing.
I'm afraid that this is a free country (that's part of American History). I don't know what makes you think that middle aged black women should clean toilets and not be able to apply for for a job as a store clerk?? Did I understand you, correctly? What's embarassing? The fact that these women need jobs? You see, the more you talk, the more people see that you don't know anything about American History. I'm afraid I'm going to have to tell you that your mother isn't the only woman that worked a scummy job while going to college.
Are you asking me what I was doing for the last ten years or black women in general? And do you, actually, believe that middle-aged black women drive around in Toyota's with spinners? Did you say you were in college? That's sad.
Did you say, Duh? (how funny)
Some young people just don't have a clue.
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stillAwitness
Ms McDcuket,
Goodness. You took my post chopped it up and completely miscrewed everything I said. Never did I say that people who happen to be middle aged at the local Job fairs that I go to have no right to be there.
It just seems like whenever one of our own has something negative against our people were considered a "sell-out" as they used to call it. Its like one jumps on the "angry black man" bandwagon and we all got to jump aboard. Like the Tookie incident. I was completely against the whole "Save Tookie" thing. I should of just kept my mouth shut about it in Psych class because I swear every black student in that room looked like they wanted me hanged. The man murdered a bunch of innocent people and aint no amount of anti-violence childrens' books in the world that can compensate for that. I say quit spoiling the black man. they get themselves in mess and we always there to get them out of it. But that is wayyy off topic. Sorry.
As for the spinners?? LOL. Actually I was speaking about the black community in general. I was thinking about how I am tired of dating brothers who got the latest Nextel cell phones, Rocawear clothes and spinners on their car but they live in their mama basement complaining about how its "the white man" that keeping them down??In no way were any of my comments directed to you. We don't even know each other so how could I? All I know is I've had to throw hands more than once back in high school because some american chick would say a racist comment against my heritage.Here is a girl whose got the same skin tone as mine, same hair texture, same big ol' lips and I've gotta rumble with her after school for what? Because of her ignorance. I had cousins who came here from haiti that I had to constantly make sure nobody was messing with them because I knew how many of the kids would make fun of some of the immigrant kids and there poor english and different style of dress. Not the white kids which you'd think you would expect. . (Perhaps, this is so shocking to you but keep in mind-I was in West Palm/Miami area. So my school was extremely diverse and we had new students from Cuba, haiti, Jamaica, etc coming in throughout the year.) I gotta watch my cousins back from my own people- people who should of understood the most. I'm sitting in after-school detetion for what? Cause my own "sista" has just reminded me that in my world-I aint got no "sista"
Most black Americans just don't want to admit they can discriminate against their own kind at times. That's whats embaressing.
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stillAwitness
LOL. And I apoligize under74.
We did get a off topic didn't we?!
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SixofNine
So many whites are incredibly nervous at the prospect of anyone, black or white, revisiting black history, because black history cast such an ugly light on white history, that I think it is very important to have special initiatives to promote awareness and educate people on black history (or at least just an accurate accounting of race and slavery and the aftermath in regular old "history").
Ideally, it would be integrated into a quality history education w/o color bias. But until then....