| Reflections from the Past |
In Celebration of Black History Month House of Prayer Holy Reformation Church ~~~ Presents “Reflections from the Past” Dinner Menu ~~~ Fried Fish, Fried Chicken, Collard Greens, Potato Salad, Hot Links, Rice & Gravy, Sweet Potatoes Banana Pudding, Peach Cobbler and more! * Tap Dance* Prizes* African drum & dance * Live Band * February 22nd, 2009 from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. Samuel C. Pannell, Meadowview Community Center 2450 Meadowview Road Sacramento, CA 95832 tickets are $20.00 ages 12 and up, $10.00 ages 5-11 Please contact Jackie for information re: special discounts (916) 424-7967 Dinner will be served promptly from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. NO EXCEPTIONS ________________________________________________________ California was named after a Black woman (Queen Califia), and it literally means the land where black women live. ~~~ It is well documented that of the 44 people who founded the city of Los Angeles, 26 were of African descent. What is amazing and not taught in schools is that the majority of the founders of San Francisco, San Jose, and San Diego were of Afrikan descent. And that Orange County, Beverly Hills and Malibu were once owned by people of Afrikan descent. The origin of the name "California" is a mystery that may never be solved. The precise date and circumstances surrounding the application of the name to some part of what is now called "Baja California" (or Lower California) is not known. The historian Antonio de Herrera in 1601 stated that it was definitely the Great Conquistador Cortes "who placed this name upon it." What is known is that the discovery of the New World by Columbus in 1492 gave a strong momentum to the age-old search for an earthly paradise with unbounded productiveness without labor, beautiful women, gold and pearls. Among a number of such utopias, created by the fertile imaginations of fiction writers and ambitious explorers of the period, was the rich island of "California," inhabited by handsome black women like Amazons. The story hinges on a supposed siege of Constantinople, when all the forces of paganism launched an attack against the emperor and his Christian allies in the city. In the midst of the siege the pagans received unexpected succor from Queen Califia of the island California. (The original spelling of the Queen's name, CALAFIA, has been slightly altered to avoid confusion.) In this island, named California, there are many griffins. In no other part of the world can they be found. [And] there ruled over that island of California a Queen of majestic proportions, more beautiful than all others, and in the very vigor of her womanhood. She was desirous of accomplishing great deeds, she was valiant and courageous and ardent with a brave heart, and had ambitions to execute nobler actions than had been performed by any other ruler." Know ye that at the right hand of the Indies there is an island named California, very close to that part of the Terrestrial Paradise, which was inhabited by black women, without a single man among them, and that they lived in the manner of Amazons. They were robust of body, with strong and passionate hearts and great virtues. The island itself is one of the wildest in the world on account of the bold and craggy rocks. Their weapons were all made of gold. The Island everywhere abounds with gold and precious stones, and upon it no other metal was found. They lived in caves well excavated. They had many ships with which they sailed to other coasts to make forays, and the men whom they took as prisoners they killed. Her painting can be found in the California State Capitol in conference room 4203 on a painted mural where Califia is locatd in the center of the mural. Another painting of her is also located on the wall of the golden dreams building at the Disney California adventure in Orange County. Unfortunately, on the great seal of California we have Miniver instead of Queen Califia. _____________________________________________________________________ The Statue of Liberty was originally a Black woman, but, as memory serves, it was because the model was Black. In a book called "The Journey of The Songhai People", according to Dr.Jim Haskins, a member of the National Education Advisory Committee of the Liberty-Ellis Island Committee, professor of English at the University of Florida, and prolific Black author, points out that what stimulated the original idea for that 151 foot statue in the harbor. He says that what stimulated the idea for the creation of the statue initially was the part that Black soldiers played in the ending of Black African Bondage in the United States. It was created in the mind of the French historian Edourd de Laboulaye, chairman of the French Anti-Slavery Society, who, together with sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, proposed to the French government that the people of France present to the people of the United States through the American Abolitionist Society, the gift of a Statue of Liberty in recognition of the fact that Black soldiers won the Civil War in the United States. It was widely known then that it was Black soldiers who played the pivotal role in winning the war, and this gift would be a tribute to their prowess. Suzanne Nakasian, director of the Staue of Liberty, Ellis Island Foundations' National Ethnic Campaign said that the Black Americans' direct connection to Lady Liberty is unknown to the majority of Americans, BLACK or WHITE. When the statue was presented to the U.S. Minister to France in 1884, it is said that he remonstrated that the dominant view of the broken shackles would be offensive to a U.S. South, because since the statue was a reminder of Blacks winning their freedom. It was a reminder to a beaten South of the ones who caused their defeat, their despised former captives. Documents of Proof: 1.) You may go and see the original model of the Statue of Liberty, with the broken chains at her feet and in her left hand. Go to the Museum of the City of N.Y, Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street (212) 534- 1672 or call the same number and dial ext.208 and speak to Peter Simmons and he can send you some documentation. 2.) Check with the N.Y Times magazine, part II_May 18, 1986. Read the article by Laboulaye. 3.) The dark original face of the Statue of Liberty can be seen in the N.Y Post, June 17, 1986, also the Post stated the reason for the broken chains at her feet. 4.) Finally, you may check with the French Mission or the French Embassy at the U.N or in Washington, D.C. and ask for some original French material on the Statue of Liberty, including the Bartholdi original model. You can call in September (202) 944-6060 or 6400. __________________________________________________________________________ The History of Soul Food ~~~ Soul food is fondly described as "food made with feeling and care." It has evolved from African customs, influenced by Southern cookery practices, and regionally influenced by West Indian, Caribbean, and French cooking. Since slaves had virtually no control or choice in life, cooking became a way to express feelings, share love and nurture family and sorrow. Food became comfort while in bondage and, because they could control cooking, it was one of their few real pleasures and a way to feel free. The slave trade brought four major contributions to soul and southern cuisine. Sesame seeds, cowpeas or black-eyed peas, okra, and watermelon seeds were originally brought to North America from Africa. The peanut, originating in South America, was also introduced to North America by way of the slave trade. Soul food was hearty nourishment that met the intense labor needs in the days of African-American slavery. Corn, rice, and beans met physical energy needs with carbohydrate and added fiber. The sparse but fatty meat scraps were sparing sources of protein and green vegetables provided essential vitamins and minerals. Even the cooking water, which was full of nutrients & called "pot likker," was drunk or used in soups and stews. Watermelon, which is more than 90% water, replenished fluid lost while toiling in the hot sun. With food supplies limited to the vegetables they could grow near their quarters and only a very limited amount of free time for hunting or fishing, African-Americans found preparing food tastefully to be one of their rare creative outlets. African traditions helped them to combine complementary ingredients with small portions of meat stretched to flavor vegetable dishes. Rice and corn were combined with beans and peas in dishes like "Hoppin' John Poke Salad, a combination of greens, including dandelions and cresses, was common. Hot spices and hearty seasonings such as garlic, peppers, bay leaves, and hot pepper sauces resulted in French-influenced Creole dishes such as jambalaya and okra in dishes like gumbo. Thus was the birth of soul food, beginning with the arrival of the first African slaves in the new land. ______________________________________________________________ The History of Juke Joints ~~~ We celebrate Black History, in which African-American pioneers are remembered for their achievement, excellence, and dedication in the arts, science, sports, medicine, and politics. For those who don’t understand what the term juke means, it is an urban term for dance. In the Deep South around the late 1920’s there were juke joints. These were abandoned homes or sharecroppers houses that were converted into a club and were used as a means of selling food and corn liquor, as well as providing live musical entertainment. They were usually run by a local bootlegger or by someone selling some form of illegal liquor, commonly known as moonshine. Most of the juke joints were located in rural areas by ponds and bayous like in Louisiana or in Mississippi. They were never big in size, but were always big enough to have an audience and yet small enough to keep things basic. Because so many were often isolated by a lack of transportation, sometimes folks would drive a tractor (because as long as you were on the plantation you could drive the tractor anywhere), ride mules or even walk many miles to get there. Juke joints in the south operated primarily on weekends whereas in the north they were open most evenings of the week. Musicians played all night, singing lyrics, which expressed everything from the injustices, suffered in the south to their troubles in love. Juke joints were a social outlet and a pressure valve to vent. They illustrated the spirit of freedom and sanctuary that blacks couldn’t find anywhere else. They provided space for conversation at leisure, which allowed them to express themselves with absolute freedom from whites, provided the space to interact strictly with other African Americans, as well as a space and sanctuary outside the church where African Americans could meet and talk about injustices and social issues. Opportunities like this enabled African Americans of the delta to create an awareness of things within the community, which they continued even in the mass migration to the north. Juke joints contributed to the formation of one of this country’s most enduring and important cultural legacies: the blues. Before there was a blues industry, there were juke joints and big names such as Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, T-Bone Walker, Ma Rainey, B.B. King to name a few can attest to playing or being a part of a juke joint. The juke joints represent an American cultural heritage that ought not to be forgotten, and it is our hope that more people will do more to preserve the story of the juke joints and the life that took place in and around the small, inexpensive establishments for eating, drinking, and dancing to the music. _____________________________________________________________________ The "N" Word Nigger/Nigga Ain’t Just a Word Redefining progress: just because we can do a thing does not mean that we must do that thing." ~~~ According to the Oxford English dictionary, The N word, nigger, is mainly a general term to describe a group of people and does not distinguish between types of people. Well, that's a fairly nice modification and quite an easy thing to say, but it is not the truth. By the early 1800s and even now in the 21st century, it was firmly established as a degenerative nickname and for many continues to remain a principal symbol of white racism. If we stop playing the word game and let academics wrestle with the question of the word nigger and its origin (traced to the Latin word niger, meaning black), the indisputable fact for many of us will be that unlike the word black, nigger with its many variations and historical context has meant and in most cases presently means black folk in America. But whatever the argument to its implication, this word will always serve as a painful reminder of the past, something that too many of us and especially our younger generation have seemed to overlook as the years have passed. Furthermore, we need to understand that whenever we use or hear this word, we should instinctively know that it is wrong. Disturbingly, we continue to call ourselves "nigger this" and "nigga that" at an alarming rate. Thanks to a generous dosage of historical disconnection and misinformation, the influence of rappers and hip-hoppers seemingly addicted to a wide range of negative terms has taken on a bold and dangerous life. Lets cut through the pleasantries and tired excuses like "nigger is slang," "this is a reflection of the hood," and "it's just something I call my boyz/girlz." Whatever those reasons and others like them, they are no more than simple-minded excuses for people unwilling to take responsibility for their actions, words and consequences. Instead many offer flimsy explanations like the ones above or an attempt to dig into some intellectually retarded nonsense about becoming more empowered by its constant usage. (By its very [public] utterance the ridiculous assertion that blacks, like homosexuals with the term "queer", are appropriating the word for their own purposes.) In either case, the result is the same: on some collective subconscious level, we have accepted what the larger society always said we were. Historically, nigger meant that we were considered, treated and called lazy, ignorant, stupid, deserving enslavement and later disenfranchisement, not worthy of legal protection and less important than a household pet. Lets be brutally honest about it while we are at it: tens of thousands of US Black people---men, women, and children---were beaten, raped, castrated and/or murdered with the word nigger being the last word they heard. If we think for one minute that all that dried up when Martin Luther King had his dream, perhaps we need to consider a very recent incident in New York City in which an African-American gentleman by the name of Michael Griffiths was chased onto a Queens expressway by a mob of angry whites that shouted the word nigger while chasing him. Or, the young black man that was repeatedly called nigger before he was killed in Texas after trying to integrate a little town called Tyler. This is not just a list of isolated incidents, but examples of phenomena that continues to this day. Does anyone truly believe that the 450 year-old slate has been wiped clean by a 10 year-old multicultural eraser? Many people counter my position by saying that blacks, particularly our youth, are rejecting classic interpretations and applications of this word and redefining its meaning for their own purposes. That would be fine if they knew what they were rejecting (which I believe the vast majority of those shifting it around do not). In order to redefine a thing you must first understand where it derives from, and in some cases just because you do understand doesn’t mean that one should redefine or change it. It is indeed curious that African-Americans are one of the leading minority groups who aggressively use oppressor-created labels of hatred and unimportance as "terms of endearment", while other groups avoid similar labels, including the majority of homosexuals who still view "faggot" as a term of scorn. While you may find many negative connotations and slander within other nationalities and oppressed groups, none seem to take more pleasure and have as many justifications of its usage than blacks. How often do you here Hispanics making songs about spics and wetbacks? When was the last time you heard a German citizen bragging about the Holocaust and making multi-million dollar songs about it? While no comparisons are valid, as this should never be posed as my-oppression-is-equal to/worse than-yours. I believe this is a matter of personal choice and as a person and especially as a person of color, I hold freedom of speech paramount. As African-Americans our history has clearly demonstrated that we have always looked out for and depended upon each other for survival, and with the knowledge that our survival is rooted in respect and that to have called another brother or sister a "nigger", "the B word" or "hoe" was more disgraceful for the caller than the called. So what does the popular use of these terms really say to us? That too many of us have become mired in comfortable stupidity? Or that we just don’t care. If not, why would so many of us call each other a term rooted in the slavery and oppression of our descendents and a people not so far removed from us? Are we so disconnected that we have to use a euphemism to call each other "brotha" or "sista" instead of calling each other "brotha" or "sista? Each time we take it upon ourselves to call each other "nigger" or "nigga" or any kind of negative connotation as a term of so-called endearment, we desecrate and dishonor the memories and spirits of those who came before us. In my opinion it is our duty and our call to keep our ancestors in a better place in our collective memories than any money-hungry comedian, dimwitted rapper, or blind revisionist has accorded them thus far. One step toward the success of this has already started. According to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) the fight to correct the shameful availability of this word has had positive results. In a speech given by Kweisi Mfume a couple of years ago, a landmark decision was made with the publishers at Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Recognizing their error, beginning with the next edition the word nigger will no longer be synonymous with African-Americans in their publication. _____________________________________________________________ In Recognition of America's High Tech "Invisible Man" Dr. Mark Dean ~~~ You may not have heard of Dr. Mark Dean. And you aren't alone. But almost everything in your life has been affected by his work. See, Dr. Mark Dean is a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He is in the National Hall of Inventors. He has more than 30 patents pending. He is a vice president with IBM. Oh, yeah. And he is also the architect of the modern-day personal computer. Dr. Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer that all PCs are based upon. And, Dr. Mark Dean is an African American. So how is it that we can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IBM personal computer without reading or hearing a single word about him? Given all of the pressure mass media are under about negative portrayals of African Americans on television and in print, you would think it would be a slam dunk to highlight someone like Dr. Dean. Somehow, though, we have managed to miss the shot. History is cruel when it ! comes to telling the stories of African Americans. Dr. Dean isn't the first Black inventor to be overlooked Consider John Stanard, inventor of the refrigerator, George Sampson, creator of the clothes dryer, Alexander Miles and his elevator, Lewis Latimer and the electric lamp. All of these inventors share two things: One, they changed the landscape of our society; and, two, society relegated them to the footnotes of history. Hopefully, Dr. Mark Dean won't go away as quietly as they did. He certainly shouldn't. Dr. Dean helped start a Digital Revolution that created people like Microsoft's Bill Gates and Dell Computer's Michael Dell. Millions of jobs in information technology can be traced back directly to Dr. Dean. More important, stories like Dr. Mark Dean's should serve as inspiration for African- American children. Already victims of the "Digital Divide" and failing school systems, young, Black kids ! might embrace technology with more enthusiasm! if they knew someone like Dr. Dean already was leading the way. Although technically Dr. Dean can't be credited with creating the computer -- that is left to Alan Turing, a pioneering 20th-century English mathematician, widely considered to be the father of modern computer science -- Dr. Dean rightly deserves to take a bow for the machine we use today. The computer really wasn't practical for home or small business use until he came along, leading a team that developed the interior architecture (ISA systems bus) that enables multiple devices, such as modems and printers, to be connected to personal computers. In other words, because of Dr. Dean, the PC became a part of our daily lives. For most of us, changing the face ! of society would have been enough. But not for Dr. Dean. Still in his early forties, he has! a lot of inventing left in him. He recently made history again by leading the design team responsible for creating the first 1-gigahertz processor chip.. It's just another huge step in making computers faster and smaller. As the world congratulates itself for the new Digital Age brought on by the personal computer, we need to guarantee that the African-American story is part of the hoopla surrounding the most stunning technological advance the world has ever seen. We cannot afford to let Dr. Mark Dean become a footnote in history. He is well worth his own history book. |
| Carter G. Woodson founder National Black History Month. ~~~ History – An account of what has or might have happened in the development of a people, country, or institution. |
| ~~~ |
| Black history month is not about getting together and eating the best of soul food and it’s not about afros and braids, fancy african names, and it’s certainly not about slavery. We take this time to remember and reflect on what our founding fathers and mothers did and we recognize their accomplishments and achievements in spite of the horrid obstacles and circumstances that were put in their way. The observance of Black History Month was once only a week long and called Negro History Week. Carter Goodwin Woodson, a famous Black historian, wanted a special week to acknowledge Black Americans and their contributions to this country. In 1915, he started his campaign for this recognition; and in 1926, he achieved his goal. Dr. Woodson thought February would be the best month for this observation because it is the birthday month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, who both were important in the lives of Black Americans. Fifty years after C.G. Woodson's successful efforts, Negro History Week expanded to become Black History Month. |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |