OPINION/ FORUM
Chronicle ?
Ernest H. Pitt
Elaine Pitt
Michael A. Pitt
T. Kevin Walker
Publisher/Co-Founder
Business Manager
Marketing
Managing Editor
Notional Neweptoef
PuDiienw s Association
llfC]RA>
Vart* Carolina
Press Assoc avion
Celebrating Black
History Month 20 1 1
Ben
Chavis
Guest
Columnist
The importance of know
ing history is to learn from
it. We remember to thank
historian Carter G. Woodson
for first establishing Black
History Week as a "celebra
tion" of African American
achievement back in 1926.
During the years we have
come to celebrate Black
History Month in the month of February not only in Ameriea.
but also throughout the world.
Black people are often, in too many instances, the object
of daily racial stereotypes and negative cynicism in the main
stream media. The month of February each year, at least for
the majority of African Americans and others who have a
sense of the value of diversity and inclusiveness, is the time
for reflection and celebration of the progress and achieve
ments that African people have made in the United States and
across the globe. Black History Month, therefore, is an annu
al time when there is a more
visible, positive energy and
consciousness about
African American progress.
Of course, we all know
that our struggle for free
dom, justice, and equality
continues even while we
recognize our achieve
ments. It is also most
important that we take the
time to share the teachings
and learning from our histo
ry with the children of our
communities. African
American youth will be
proud of our history to the
extent to which we will take
more time to tell it. explain
Carter G. Woodson
it and to make sure that our youth will understand and appre
ciate it. Again, this is why the African American press is
important in all of its multiple media formats. The good news
is there is a hunger and thirst by millions of young people in
our communities for more awareness and knowledge about
African American and African history.
The historic transformation of Egypt during this Black
Histor\ Month observance is noteworthy. Egypt is one of the
oldest nations in the world, although 60 percent of the popu
lation in Egypt is under the age of 30. The dramatic changes
in Egypt that were led by the youth of that African nation
should serve as a global reminder that the future destiny of
the World is not in the hands of those who live vicariously in
the past blindly with no vision, hope or plan to make social,
economic, political and cultural progress. The future is in the
hands of young people who know their history and take their
responsibility for freedom and progress seriously.
Iebruar\ II. 2011 was the day of transformation in
Egypt But. we also should remember and continue to cele
brate that February II. 1990 was the day that Nelson
Mandela was finally released from prison in South Africa
after spending 27 years in prison unjustly as a political pris
oner held by the apartheid regime. Mandela stated. "Our
march to freedom is irreversible."
Here in the United States, one of the most significant
recent historical moments was the election of President
Barack H Obama in November of 2008. Not surprisingly,
the U.S. Census Bureau is now reporting the voter "turnout
rate" in the 2008 national elections was the highest for Black
Americans (65 c/c ) as compared to all other racial groups iden
tified by the U.S. Census Bureau. We all should know that
the age group within the African American community that
had the largest percent increase in voter turnout from 2004 to
2008 was the "18- to 24-year-old citizen black population."
Now, between Black History Month 2011 and 2012, we've
got some homework to do to make sure that this trend in
Black American civic participation and historic voter turnout
continues.
Let's make sure here in the United States that our march
to freedom is also "irreversible." Once again, the history of
voting and the blood-soaked price that African Americans, in
particular, had to pay to get the right to vote should never be
forgotten or taken for granted. Yes, we have a lot to cele
brate. There has been progress. But, we also have a lot to
be sober about: high unemployment, imprisonment, high
school dropout rate, poverty and too many in a state of disil
lusionment. But. we must not be cynical and self-destruc
tive. There are solutions to all these problems. If "Black
History" has taught us anything that we should always
remember, it is that our struggle for freedom is protracted.
We will have victories and we will have defeats, but through
it all we must never let our spirit be broken. Trials and tribu
lations should strengthen us. not weaken us. We have come
too far to let new winds of oppression blow us off course.
Let's raise up a new generation of freedom fighters.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr is Senior Advisor to the Black
Alliance for Educational Options IBAEO) and President of
Education Online Services Corporation.
HOIWHGj j
COULP
fMtK
tU\U TO Vi IU
C AROUUK
\U THE.
KORU\UG !
\
NOTU\HCb
COULP fcE '
TEETER
turn K *
2008
REPEA.TE?. i
IN THE
MORNING!
If \Nfc W\U TUAJ ^
SOUTHERN STMt
tt COULP viUST ;
fAWCE OUR PKY!
&UT \F TUt
Economy
ROTTtN h
IT WON'T J
WKTTtK
e\tuer my...
XCUZ TUt
v MOTERS WLU
A REMEMWR J
AHP ViE'LU
10&E IN
UO\lEN\&ER j
AW
MO-O-O-OURHlU&i
k
Iraq's Impact on Arab Revolts?
Bill Fletcher
Guest
Columnist
Something very weird is
afoot. 1 have been hearing
commentators suggest that
the invasion of Iraq and the
ouster of Saddam Hussein in
2003 set the stage for the
current Arab democratic
revolt. The story goes some
thing like this: The people
of the Arab world saw that a
dictator could be overthrown
and they then saw the bene
fits of an alleged democracy.
This, according to the story,
sparked their desire to move
to overthrow various Arab
despots.
When I first heard this. I
assumed that someone was
joking or being sarcastic.
The thought that the
U.S. /British invasion of
Iraq, in clear violation of
international law, followed
by the installation of puppet
regimes would have inspired
a democratic revolt eight
years later is a bit absurd. If
you leave aside some level
of delusion, what is one to
make of these suggestions?
The foreign policy view
of the so-called nco-conser
vatives? the largely
Republican group that domi
nated foreign policy debates
during the George W. Bush
administration--was one
calling for an active and
interventionist role in
installing pro-U.S. govern
ments. The neo-cons called
these governments "democ
ratic," but what they meant
by that was permitting peo
ple to vote as long as they
vote for pro-U.S. candidates.
This is why U.S. ruling cir
cles so bitterly hate
Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez and Bolivian
President Evo Morales.
These leaders were both
elected legitimately and
have moved to lake their
countries in a direction that
U.S. ruling circles have
failed to approve. As such,
the neo-con view has noth
ing to do with democracy
but revolves instead around
whether a regime is per
ceived as being pro- or anti
the objectives of the U.S.
ruling circles. Two other
examples of this the cynical
manner in which this plays
out were the coups that over
threw Haitian President
Aristide (2004) and
Honduran President Zelaya
(2009). In both cases, dem
ocratically-elected leaders
were overthrown with either
the active support or at least
the knowledge and permis
sion of the U.S. government,
yet. this was not at all seen
as a threat to democracy by
the neo-cons. Instead, the
neo-cons applauded such
actions as necessary efforts
to restore democracy!
The Arab revolt that we
are witnessing has nothing
to do with Iraq. The Iraq
invasion and occupation was
reprehensible as far as the
Arab World was concerned.
Today's revolt is a revolt
against tyrannies, including
those openly supported by
the U.S.A. (such as Egypt).
As such, these are not only
revolts against domestic
tyrants but they also repre
sent revolts against a global
system that has helped to
place such tyrants into
power and reinforce their
rule during the decades.
The next time that you
hear someone suggest that
the Iraq invasion was a step
forward for democracy and
that it inspired the Arab
masses to revolt, well, it is
fine to laugh.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is a
Senior Scholar with the
Institute for Policy Studies,
the immediate past president
of TransAfrica Forum and
the co-author of "Solidarity
Divided." He can he reached
at papaq54@hotmail.com.
Embracing Black Economic History
Julianne
TVlalveaux
Guest
Columnist
1 was doing my thing a
week or so ago. on another
HBCU rampus, supporting
Brother president and the
students w\o'd e;uned hon
ors at the \hoc/ I was
delighted to be there, as 1
always learn when I visit
other campuses. Delighted
and yet astonished when a
young man. a senior, stepped
up to me to ask if I really
thought Black History
Month was still relevant.
Thoughtful, pointed, and
articulate, the young man
told me that in this "post
racial" era we should not
settle for February. He
fussed that we segregate
ourselves by embracing a
month for Black History. He
said he would rather see our
accomplishments and facts
peppered through the year.
And. then he stomped his
foot and said he found Black
History Month irrelevant.
Can I share 4hat I was
stunned? Dr. Carter G.
Woodson founded Negro
History Week, which blos
somed into Black History
Month because there was
scant attention paid to the
accomplishments of people
of African descent in our
country and in our culture.
He picked the second week
of February, the week that
encompasses both the birth
days of Abraham Lincoln
(February 12) and the self
proclaimed birthday of
Frederick Douglas
(February 14. remembering
that the birthdays of
enslaved people were often
not recorded). The
Association for the Study of
African American Life and
Heritage (ASALAH) has
been the organization to set,
each year, a theme for Black
History Month. They've
reminded us of the many
ways that African American
people have been contribu
tors to our nation's work. '
Now we have come so
far, it seems, that a student at
an HBCU is critically think
ing that we don't need to
celebrate us anymore. Give
me a break! 1 do not think
that we have yet embraced
the greatness of our people
of our history, of our jour
ney. I do not think that we
understand how well we
play a game that is stacked
against us. We play and
sometimes we win.
I think of Elizabeth
Keckley, the seamstress who
supported the White folks
who owned her when they
fell on hard times.
Eventually, she paid them
for her freedom, made her
way to Washington, D.C.
and was the tailor for First
Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. 1
wonder, often, what kind of
temperament allows some
one to purchase herself, as
opposed to simply running
away? And, I relish and
revel in the absolute temeri
ty of a sister who would be
free, no matter what. If we
decide that we won't cele
brate Black History Month,
where do we put Elizabeth
Keckley's story? Is it sim
ply a story of courage and
entrepreneurship? Or. must
it be located in a month and
a moment that celebrates the
tenacity, the audacity of a
people whose thirst for free
dom could not be quenched?
For every name we
know. every Elizabeth
Keckley, there are names
that history swallowed
because there were stories
that many chose not to
record. There were men and
women who set aside pen
nies each week to self-eman
cipate, and then there are the
stories of those who ran
away, self-emancipating in a
different manner. Slavery
required Black and White
people to suspend faith and
rationality, to warp reason
and integrity. People of
African descent cut and
pasted their reason and their
consciousness to manage a
system that was nothing less
than evil. And, too many
Whites knew it was wrong,
but went along to get along,
preserving in the case of
President John Adams, evil
in the name of keeping the
union together.
And, a young brother at
an HBCU. undoubtedly not
the only young man or
woman, says he thinks we
should not "do" Black histo
ry anymore. We are past
that. Not really. We must
embrace this history that is
ours because it is a history
that inspires and empowers.
Our economic history, much
as the rest of our history,
reminds us that we are a
mighty people. fOVe have
survived. We have thrived.
We continue to some
times win a game that is
totally rigged against us.
Juliunne Malveaux is
President of Bennett College
for Women in Greensboro,
North Carolina. Her book
Surviving and Thriving: 365
Facts in Back Economic
History, is available at
www.lastwordprod.com.