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I don't see a need for any person of historical importance to be refered to by their race and categorized the same way...such being, there should not be any month dedicated to one race or another.
Remember that historical importance does not mean the person did something deemed either good or bad, or that they did it because they were of any one race.. As far as important black people not being taught in school, I disagree. In the 60's I remember important people being discussed in school no matter what color they may have been. Black people were not saved up so that we could have a black week, or an asian week, or anything like that. Nor were they held up in amazement that they could do something even if they were this or that color.
History should be taught as a progression of events and people that happened over time...not lumped in racial groups for special occasions..
I gave this rep. I can more or less agree with it although I'm not sure I would portray history as all a progression in one direction. The Mayan civilization without (before) contact with white Europeans went into decline with Mayan's themselves forgetting much of their own history.
"History" is really human history. At least as concerns Homo sapiens. And within that history we have incidents of nations "rising" and "falling." But even that is a simplistic view and statement.
At any rate... I can agree with the basic gist of your post.
No I have no bone with Columbus and I only used him as an example of the distortions and omissions of the public school system that ignores the accomplishments that people of color has contributed to this country in it's teaching to the public as a whole.
I want to thank you for pointing this out since obviously you obtained your knowledge not through the public school system but through Catholic school and college
Actually, sime, and I don't say this to be argumentative, but just clarify something: I learned somebutvery little history in Catholic school and in public university. Long before I entered college I did a lot of reading, mainly non-fiction. And I read pretty widely. But I read a lot of history too.
Over the course of my life of reading I discovered something. And that something became more evident the more books I read on a given subject. It's impossible to teach a history of almost anything (that not like brand new) in one book of 300 pages let alone in 2 or 3 short paragraphs.
Let me give you an example.
Click on the links below to see the number of pages listed in the table of contents.
A history of the Black Church (a history of a whole institution, that's about 200 or so years old, that's had millions of people in covering a country the size of a continent) that's about 170 pages long, fewer pages dedicated to it than the history of a single man named Hugo Chavez: Amazon.com: Fortress Intro Black Church History eBook: Anne H. Pinn: Kindle Store
Studying the history of the Black Church in the United States would take a life time dedication. No one book of 170 pages can do it justice and capture it all. Not to mention that history is constantly being made as the days and years past.
So, knowing what I do about history, I find it ridiculous that any history of a whole race can be justly presented in a month. What's ultimately done is a quick survey of that history to the point whole institutions are reduced to 1 or 3 pages or even 1 or 3 paragraphs.
Not to mention it instills in people a sense they are supposed to be spoon fed all information "about themselves."
I also don't like what I see as racial propaganda: only selecting "heroes" and showing "triumphs" or being portrayed as "innocent."
But I'll leave it at that, and try to bow out this thread, unless I feel really compelled to make a response.
In 2013 if we keep having different groups pushing for autonomy this country will end. It may not happen today or tomorrow but eventually it will happen.
Actually, sime, and I don't say this to be argumentative, but just clarify something: I learned somebutvery little history in Catholic school and in public university. Long before I entered college I did a lot of reading, mainly non-fiction. And I read pretty widely. But I read a lot of history too.
Over the course of my life of reading I discovered something. And that something became more evident the more books I read on a given subject. It's impossible to teach a history of almost anything (that not like brand new) in one book of 300 pages let alone in 2 or 3 short paragraphs.
Let me give you an example.
Click on the links below to see the number of pages listed in the table of contents.
A history of the Black Church (a history of a whole institution, that's about 200 or so years old, that's had millions of people in covering a country the size of a continent) that's about 170 pages long, fewer pages dedicated to it than the history of a single man named Hugo Chavez: Amazon.com: Fortress Intro Black Church History eBook: Anne H. Pinn: Kindle Store
Studying the history of the Black Church in the United States would take a life time dedication. No one book of 170 pages can do it justice and capture it all. Not to mention that history is constantly being made as the days and years past.
So, knowing what I do about history, I find it ridiculous that any history of a whole race can be justly presented in a month. What's ultimately done is a quick survey of that history to the point whole institutions are reduced to 1 or 3 pages or even 1 or 3 paragraphs.
Not to mention it instills in people a sense they are supposed to be spoon fed all information "about themselves."
I also don't like what I see as racial propaganda: only selecting "heroes" and showing "triumphs" or being portrayed as "innocent."
But I'll leave it at that, and try to bow out this thread, unless I feel really compelled to make a response.
Peace.
I understand what you are saying, but also I'm looking at what you wrote as well and my point is that the things that you learned did not come from the teaching from an urban public school setting. From what you just said much of it has come from your own curiosity, which is fine. The point that I think that we both agree on is that if history is taught it should be taught as a whole and not just bits and pieces at the whims of the people in control of educating our children.
Personally I agree with you regarding a month of hand fed facts and tibits once a year, but since the those in power do not want to acknowledge this is the best many of us are left with. Ideally, like what I have done is when I come across historical and cultural facts I share them with my family. This works for me and mine, but I look at those who have parents, grandparent ect who are not aware of these resources and therefore cannot pass them on to their children
I am going to have to assume you are lying as concerns the above statement... Because had you [always] learned about the people you named, and the contributions they made to society, you wouldn't be asking such a gut-wrenchingly stupid question in your op...
I am also going to assume you didn't [always] learn english, either...
Umm... I'm not a racist. I hate racists and storm front, I don't even go to that stupid site. I also have Cherokee ancestry as well as possible Jewish ancestry. I don't see why you're making stupid accusations about me.
Umm... I'm not a racist. I hate racists and storm front, I don't even go to that stupid site. I also have Cherokee ancestry as well as possible Jewish ancestry. I don't see why you're making stupid accusations about me.
Probably because you created a very provocative thread and knew exactly what you were doing. Fess up now
Umm... I'm not a racist. I hate racists and storm front, I don't even go to that stupid site. I also have Cherokee ancestry as well as possible Jewish ancestry. I don't see why you're making stupid accusations about me.
I will not challenge anything that you said, but the point is that black american contributions to this country are not recognized and therefore we have Black History Month, but I will agree that it should be named "Black American History Month"
Yes, it should be name Black American history month. Too many people already have enough issues grasping that every person of African descent that they see does not have the same history, particularly that not everyone has a history in this nation.
Go ahead have your white history month, this is what it would look like:
There should be a White History Month in America. That way we can teach all about the things White Americans have done in history, like:
Cherokee Trail of Tears
Japanese American internment
Philippine-American War
Jim Crow
The genocide of Native Americans
Transatlantic slave trade
The Middle Passage
The history of White American racism
Black Codes
Slave patrols
Ku Klux Klan
NYPD
The War on Drugs
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
How white racism grew out of slavery and genocide
How whites still benefit from slavery and genocide
White anti-racism
The Southern strategy
The rape of black slave women
CORE
Madison Grant
The Indian Wars
Human zoos
How the Jews became white
White flight
Redlining
Proposition 14
Homestead Act
Tulsa Riots
Rosewood massacre
Tuskegee Experiment
Lynching
Hollywood stereotypes
Indian Appropriations Acts
Immigration Act of 1924
Sundown towns
Chinese Exclusion Act
Emmett Till
Vincent Chin
Islamophobia
Indian boarding schools
King Philip’s War
Bacon’s Rebellion
American slavery compared to Arab, Roman and Latin American slavery
History of the gun
History of the police
History of prisons
History of white suburbia
Lincoln’s racism and anti-racism
George Wallace
Fox News
Tea Party
Cointelpro
Real estate steering
School tracking
Mass incarceration of black men
Boston school busing riots
And so on. No fear of running out of topics: there is more than one a day! I am sure my commenters can come up with tons more, probably some big ones that are not coming to mind at the moment. I did not list things that often do get covered in history class in America, however poorly, like Lincoln or Reconstruction.
White History Month should be in November, the same month as Thanksgiving, the holiday which observes the supposed beginning of White America.
Schoolchildren can do reports on:
John Brown (required)
Andrew Goodman
Michael Schwerner
Thaddeus Stevens
Jim Zwerg
William Lloyd Garrison
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