Posted on 02/27/2005 8:19:19 AM PST by Theodore R.
From golden sunrise to the West
By Kelly Milner rep7@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE - Frankie Jones hoped a speaker Saturday helped put Tarzan to rest.
"The only concept most people have of Africa is a white man swinging on a tree to save the black people," Jones said. "Every time I see it, it makes me fighting mad."
Jones is a member of the Love and Charity Club Inc. that sponsored a Black History Month event Saturday called "Looking Back and Moving Forward."
The Rev. Clinton Lewis was the speaker for the service, which was held at Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopalian Church. Choirs from both Second Baptist Church and Unity Baptist Church performed as well.
Lewis began his remarks by talking about great kingdoms in ancient Africa, including the kingdoms of Ghana and Mali in western Africa.
"This was not the beginning of African civilization, but civilization itself," said Lewis, an associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church and adjunct instructor of black history at Laramie County Community College.
Reading from a textbook, Lewis discussed one kingdom's inhabitants, described as cheerful people who spent a great deal of time dancing and singing.
These kingdoms were immense, Lewis said, and so rich that horses and dogs were decorated in gold. One king took a hundred camels carrying gold on a voyage to Mecca.
"This is a far cry from the Africa we have been led to believe about, the Dark Continent," he said. "This was a gold-encrusted nation."
But there has been much painful history in between those ancient kingdoms and the reality of black Americans.
Lewis said slavery has left deep scars on the psyche and self-esteem of American blacks, often leading to problems with drugs and alcohol.
"We look back at Africa and look forward to the day when this nation will not be embroiled in racism . to the day when we will no longer sing 'We Shall Overcome,' because we will have overcome," Lewis said.
Black History Month began as a weeklong commemoration in 1926 as a way to educate Americans about the contributions of blacks - contributions not included in most history books.
Jones and Love and Charity president Gloradene Stevenson lament the need for Black History Month.
"We need to have American history and world history," Jones said. "We need to have history that represents the truth."
Jones, 74, said she doesn't believe that will happen in her lifetime or even the lifetime of her grandchildren.
"The same things that happened in me to school happened to my children and my grandchildren, being ignored by the teacher, being treated with disrespect," she said.
Stevenson said it's a dream that one day Black History Month will no longer be needed, but she doubts its possibility.
She said few people have even heard about the many inventions blacks made - another topic of discussion Saturday.
Blacks have invented items such as the ironing board, comb, brush, mop, pencil sharpener, clothes dryer, fountain pen, lawn mower, traffic light, refrigerator and air conditioner.
Sunday morning too remains America's most segregated hour, with blacks and whites worshiping separately.
"If we could get the churches together, maybe then we could do something," she said.
Stevenson points out how slow things have changed for the black community in America.
"If it's taken us this long to get to this point, how much longer will it be for us to be more than guests in our own country," she said. "We're still not accepted; we're just visitors."
Keep thinking that way doofus, and you'll never get beyond it.
He must mean most people he knows. Tarzan is about the last thing I think of when I think of Africa. Does he also think that most people think of the Lone Ranger when they think of Indians?
"He must mean most people he knows. Tarzan is about the last thing I think of when I think of Africa."
I was wondering what the heck he was talking about. Tarzan. Thanks.
That said, when I think of Africa, I think of AIDS, slavery, famine, starvation, corrupt governments and genocide. No wonder he thinks of Tarzan. Sorry to disappoint Mr. Jones.
"Frankie" Jones is female.
"This was not the beginning of African civilization, but civilization itself," said Lewis, an associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church and adjunct instructor of black history at Laramie County Community College.
Poor guy has no idea about chronology. These were not "ancient" civilizations, they were medieval, thriving from about 500 to 1700 CE.
If you want to consider Africa the "beginning of civilization," your only hope is Egypt, which is indeed one of the two oldest civilizations.
I work with a very intelligent black man; we are both Corporate Pilots for our company a US based Fortune 50 Company. He left the USAF after a very successful career flying C-130’s.
He’s more A-Political than anything but feels the liberals are out to politically enslave the blacks and the best hope for the black race is to embrace the values of the Republican Party.
He is quick to tell you that the most racist people he has ever encountered are the blacks, especially the ones he grew up with, they feel he has abandon his true roots and forged himself a place in a predominantly white world by becoming so successful.
Truly a stupid argument
Ah, that explains it. Those images of a barely clad Johnny Weissmuller seem to have stuck with her. :)
WTH?
Next thing I know I'll be told John Wayne was a fag.
Has anyone asked Johnny Weissmuller about this?
"Mother, do you think they’ll drop the bomb?
Mother, do you think they’ll like this song?
Mother, do you think they’ll try to break my balls?
Ooooowaa mother, should I build a wall?"
So many things to say in response to this....but I won't. I will say that I have a small collection of pre WWII post cards and one has a caption similar to that in reference to sharecroppers in the South.
In fairness ...http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/black.shtml
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