At the middle of Black History Month
February is Black History Month, so designated under President Gerald Ford, upgraded from Black History Week, which was established back in the 1920s. Many African Americans resent the allocation of a single month to recognize the contributions of black Americans to our history and culture. A great example of this position was part of a blog post I did last year at this time, featuring Morgan Freeman.
I think the Christina Science Monitor has done a great job of shining the spotlight on the variety of opinions surrounding Black History Month and on some of the major contributions of African Americans. Plus, there’s a list of five things held near and dear to the hearts of many black Americans (that may not be well-known to white and other non-black Americans), and a quiz about black history, well-worth taking.
Here’s a clip of one of my musical heroes:
Which African Americans do you most admire?
Tags: black history month, muddy waters
I have a need to make two lists: “Most admire,” and “Give me most pleasure.” There is crossover. I have great admiration for these: Paul Robeson, Malcolm X and his transformation, Maya Angelou, Michelle Robinson-Obama, Marion Anderson, John Hope Franklin, Toni Morrison, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Those who give me pleasure. First, two of the greatest heroes in my life: John Coltrane, Miles Davis
Others who give me great pleasure and are a real part of my day-to-day life (which means that some time today, tomorrow, or later in the week, it’s likely I’ll listen to one of their recordings): Anthony Braxton, Booker Little, Elvin Jones, Sarah Vaughn, Jessye Norman, Mahalia Jackson, Kathleen Battle, Simon Estes, Barbara Hendricks, Marion Anderson, and when I’m in the mood for blues: John Lee Hooker, BB King
Any silver screen pulsates with excitement when I see him on it: Sidney Poitier
There’s always the nagging feeling that fifteen more minutes of contemplation will cause 100 more favourites to jump into consciousness, but these are the names that rolled of the tongue-tip this morning. Ellen, this was a fun exercise.
Ellen: “Many African Americans resent the allocation of a single month to recognize the contributions of black Americans to our history and culture.” Many Haitian-American and Jamaican-American resent the focus on African-American History only. That segment of our population is rapidly growing.
I’ll second what Gary says and add my favorite black American is my wife, Carmen, who was born in Barbados.
Yeah, personally I prefer “black American” to “African-American” –it just seems more balanced if we’re talking about “white American” on the other end of the racial scale. But I’m white, so it’s not really my call. If you are a black American–or multi-racial–what’s your preferred language?