FORUM
Live up to your potential
Nigel Alston
Motivational
Moments
"What lies behind us and
what lies before us are small
matters compared to what lies
within us."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I was raised to believe we
need to live the best that's in
us," said Angela Bassett, a
popular and successful
actress, recently profiled in
Sunday's "Parade" magazine
in an article written by Dotson
Rader.
It was interesting to learn
how her mother didn't believe
in being "average," the impor
tance she placed in bringing
your best to the moment, and
how a performance by James
Earl Jones in "Of Mice and
Men" inspired Angela Bassett
at age 15 to pursue a career in
acting.
"Even if it didn't work out.
I had to try my best," said Bas
sett, explaining that she had a
dream of what she thought
would make her happy and
wanted to go after it. She
could blame her mother for
her attitude and determination.
While her mother had per
sonal struggles of her own. she
didn't allow Bassett to defend
a C grade she brought home
once, as "average." "I don't
have average children!" Bas
stftt's mother told her. pro
ceeding to cut off her phone
privileges and extracurricular
activities. Bassett didn't like
the action, but she remembers
feeling special and walked
away with this lesson: "Don't
settle for average. Bring your
best to the moment. Then,
w hether it fails or succeeds, at
least you know you gave all
you had."
A painful experience pro
vided a good lesson, one that
reminds me of the parable of
the Pencil Maker. As the story
goes, the Pencil Maker took a
pencil aside to explain the
things he needed to know
befotfe going out into the
world. "Always remember
them and never forget and you
will become the best pencil
you can be," he advised.
"You will be able to do
many great things, but only if
you allow yourself to be held
in someone's hand," he contin
ued. "From time to time you
will experience a painful
sharpening, but you'll need it
to become a better pencil. You
will be able to correct any
mistakes you might make and
the most important part of you
will always be what's inside.
On every surface you are used
on. you must leave your mark.
No matter what the condition,
you must continue to write."
said the Pencil Maker.
The pencik'understood his
purpose in life, why he existed
- that seenpngly elusive rea
son living inside each of us.
waiting for the right condi
tions to emerge to leave its
mark.
Now. put yourself in the
pencil's place. Strive to
become all you are created
capable of being. In doing so.
to paraphrase the Pencil
Maker, you will be able to do
many great things, especially
if you allow yourself to be
held in the hands of a higher
power, and allow other people
to access you for the many
gifts you possess. Even going
through problems and chal
lenges - while maybe not evi
dent at the time - will
strengthen you and enable you
to make adjustments to crOrect
any mistakes you might make.
No matter what the situa
tion, continue to do your best.
Proceed with your life on this
earth having a meaningful
purpose in your heart. Find the
conditions that allow you to
leave your mark, as Angela
Bassett is doing, bringing her
best to the moment.
She can't let her mother
down. She understands what
the pencil' knows: The most
important part of you will
always be what's on the
inside. Live the best that's in
you.
Nigel Alston is a radio talk
show host, columnist aitil
motivational speaker. Visit his
Web site at www.motivational
moments.com.
The deadline for
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Black history is not just for blacks
Earl Ofari
Hutchinson
Guest
Columnist
In his recent weekly radio
address commemorating Black
History Month, President Bush
promised major hikes in funding
for historically black colleges.
The week before McDonald's
Restaurants pledged to display
African-American-themed
posters in their U.S. restaurants
during Black History Month. This
seemed to signal recognition by
America's top elected official and
one of the world's best-known
corporations of the towering con
tributions of African Americans to
America's traditions.
But why did Bush wait until
Black History Month to announce
the college fund increases? The
presidents and administrators at
historically black colleges for
years have pleaded to state and
federal officials for millions more
to keep their doors open. More
often than not their pleas have
fallen on deaf ears.
In the past decade a number
of black colleges have shut their
doors, or drastically cut back pro
grams. Yet, the demand to get into
these colleges has soared. Nearly
20 percent of blacks now attend
these colleges. Even so. Bush's
proposed budget increase for the
colleges is a paltry $12 million. At
the same time, why did McDon
ald's say that it would promote its
campaign t6 celebrate black
achievements only on a nationally
syndicated black radio program
and in black publications?
Bush's announcement of a
fund increase for black colleges
and McDonald's targeting black
media in its promo campaign
reinforce the public notion that
African-American contributions
can be pigeonholed into one
month.
And those contributions are
still mostly for blacks to cele
brate.
The lopping off of the
African-American experience
from the rest of American history
is a big reason why most whites
and Americans of all races are
woefully ignorant and indifferent
to their own past. For many
Americans, and that includes
many blacks, their knowledge of
the historical contributions of
blacks begins and ends with Mar
tin Luther King and Malcolm X.
They still don't know that African
Americans played a major part in
shaping America's institutions.
Black inventors, explorers, scien
tists. architects and trade unionists
helped construct the foundation
of American industry . Black abo
litionists. religious and civil rights
leaders helped shape law. politics
and religion in America. Black
artists, writers and musicians gave
America some of its most distinc
tive cultural art forms. The mod
em day Civil Rights Movement
not only broke down the legal bar
riers of segregation, it also opened
the door of opportunity in govern
ment. business and at academic
institutions for women and
minorities.
This was precisely why Carter
G. Woodson, a pioneer black
scholar and educator, initiated
what was then called Negro His
tory Week 76 years ago to break
down the historical and cultural
disconnect most Americans have
from their history. Woodson
wanted to reclaim black people's
history from the netherworld of
American history and make it a
source of pride not just for blacks,
but all Americans. In his day if
blacks were mentioned in general
history texts it was only in the
section on slavery.
But how much has really
changed? During February, politi
cians designate special days, issue
proclamations and sponsor trib
utes to notable blacks. TV execu
tives squeeze in most of their spe
cials. documentaries and features
on blacks. When the month ends,
it's back to business as usual.
The question of why black
contributions to American society
aren't celebrated every month has
been repeatedly asked. Many
blacks scream racism. But blam
ing racism for America's failure
to recognize black contributions
is not enough. The truth is that
black historians and educators
made a fundamental error during
their big push in the 1960s for
black studies courses. They forgot
that black history couldn't be sep
arated from American history.
They failed to tell how the black
For many non-black Americans, black history begins and
ends with the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
experience has enriched the lives
of Americans of all colors. Black
history was isolated into a cubicle
labeled "for blacks only."
It was treated by academics
and textbook w riters as little more
than a footnote to the "real" histo
ry of America. When the furor
over equality died down it
became expendable.
There's a way to end the sys
tematic omission or self-serving
exaggeration of black contribu
tions to American society. Pub
lishers should revise all classroom
texts that compartmentalize black
achievements into a single chap
ter (for example, slavery or civil
rights) and include them in all
chapters. School administrators
? and teachers should make sure
that black achievements are
woven throughout the curriculum,
from science and technology to
the humanities. Public officials,
and that includes President Bush,
should commemorate black
achievements in ceremonies
throughout the entire year.
?
Corporations should regularly I
feature black achievements in
their advertising and promotional
materials.
McDonald's says that its
African-American-themed
posters will stay up after Febru
ary. The big test is whether other
corporations will follow its exam
ple and also do more to promote
African-American accomplish
ments throughout the year.
When the experience of
blacks becomes accepted as a
routine part of the whole of Amer
ican experience, then and only
then will black history be what it
should have always been - some
thing that all Americans take
pride in and celebrate, and not
just in February.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an
author and columnist. Visit his
news and opinion Weh site:
www. thehutchinsonreport. com.
He is the author of "The Crisis in
Black and Black" (Middle Pas
sage Press).
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