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[Phoenix RISING]

BHM 2017 OT| BHM 2016 OT | BHM 2015 OT

What is Black History Month?
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America (but nobody calls it that), is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingdom in October.

Why do Black People need a history month?
In an ideal world, the month would not be necessary, because educational establishments and the national curriculum would fully recognize and appreciate the contribution of black people throughout history. Sadly that is not the case.

The Black Community uses this history month as an opportunity to share with the world its vast contributions: a time to demonstrate pride in its creativity, respect for its intellectual prowess and a celebration of its cultural identity which is far too often misrepresented, when it is not being ignored, in the mainstream.

So where can I learn more about Black History?
Well to start, I suggest visiting these three sites:
http://blackhistory.com/
http://www.blackpast.org/
http://racialinjustice.eji.org/timeline/

"But I only see one race: the human race!"

kthxbi.

"But what about _____ History?"

http://racerelations.about.com/od/diversitymatters/tp/Celebrating-Cultural-Heritage-Months.htm
http://freethoughtblogs.com/crommunist/2013/02/03/why-isnt-there-a-white-history-month/

The "Create Thread" button is that way _____________________________>

Recommended Reading:

• Explanation of Cultural Appropriation by Angelus
• Institutional Racism: The Continued War on Black America by Amirox
• Sexual Preferences and Racism by Sub (original article by Samantha Allen)
• List of topics on black history and racial identity by Mumei
• Nigga and You: A Comprehensive Guide to the N-Word by SENPAIatLARGE
• The White Disenfranchisement Narrative by platocplx
• What Should I Do: Resources for Making an Effort in Troubling Times by EdibleKnife
• Black Excellence vs. White Mediocrity by Arthur Chu / Salon, through Alternet
• The Case For Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Video Games' Blackness Problem by Evan Narcisse (Kotaku)
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
• When you say you 'don't see race', youre ignoring racism, not helping to solve it by Zach Stafford

Recommended Viewing:

• Roots
• Selma
• Rosewood
• Fruitvale Station
• Malcolm X
• Amistad
• 12 Years a Slave
• Glory
• Beloved
• The Color Purple
• The Great Debaters
• The Tuskegee Airmen
• Do the Right Thing
• Menace II Society
• Get On The Bus
• Bamboozled
• Dear White People
• Mississippi Burning
• 13th
• Hidden Figures
• Hidden Colors
• Fences
• Dark Girls
• Moonlight
• Zootopia (yes, really)
• I Am Not Your Negro
• Get Out
• Girls Trip
• Detroit
• Marshall
• Straight Outta Compton
• Red Tails
• Race
• The Birth of a Nation (2016)

Some choice quotes from GAF's finest (the "****" is because I use a profanity filter. You can fill in the blanks yourselves):

Everyone wants to be black. There's nothing more punk rock on Earth than being black. We stroll in, all muscle and sinew and cocoa, ****ing the game up like dirty edge connectors. We laugh loud and speak bold and emit "I-just-don't-give-a-****" with every movement. We have been scrutinized and analyzed in every conceivable way, and still we are mysterious and exotic right down to the kink of our hair to those - surprising, still numerous - people who haven't been in contact with us before. We've created the rhythm and the blues, the rock and the roll, the hip and the hop. We brought in the noise and the funk. We put the soul in food, and pretty much everything else too. We built your pyramids, and we leap over them with our seemingly impossible collective athleticism, borne of mountains, jungles and plains that many of us still live in all across the world. Everyone wants to be black.

No one wants to be black. There's nothing more terrifying than the knowledge that we exist in every way but individually to everyone - even other black people. We can never be judged by our own merits; we carry the weight of the race's progression with every step into the future like Atlas, and even he shrugged...but we can't, because it's considered weak and selling out if we do. Every bit of slang, every bit of clothing that sits the wrong way, every head nod and hand gesture can and will be taken in the wrong way, a universal "there-goes-the-neighborhood" by everyone that can do so, which basically consists of everyone that doesn't want the social association with black people. That group, naturally, consists of everyone that is able to pass as "non-black". We live in a world where we were kings until we were cattle, and then we were weapons, and then we were like aphids, sprouting up where we weren't wanted, corrupting non-black youth, and the reason for everything from crime to lowered test scores or property value. Nobody wants to be black.

My blackness offends infinitely.
I want to be black.


Also, I'm just not going to address the topic. I'm just going to sit back and watch. I wouldn't say we are universally reviled; it just seems that way sometimes.

Natural's Law - is a humorous observation made by GAF poster MWS Natural in 2011 which is becoming an Internet adage. It states: "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving black people approaches 1. In other words, Natural put forth the hyperbolic observation that, given enough time, in any online discussion regarding any form of conflict someone inevitably criticizes some point made in the discussion by comparing it to discrimination faced by blacks.

The Liberal Limit

And while were at it, lets talk about another thing that has been ****ing me the **** off recently. Lately, in the pages of liberal bastions like Atlantic, Slate, and New Republic, there has been this movement gaining steam largely because nobody wants to give it a name. So let me name this mofo: The Liberal Limit. You know it in fact its been the view of many liberals and leftists, but particularly old white liberal men (yeah I said it), that progressiveness has gone too far, so far that even their privilege now feels attacked.

Theyre tired of learning new gender pronouns. Tired of hiding that nigger joke book. Tired of having to figure out how to respond to a Rihanna video. Tired of feminists of colour pointing out fissures in whatever wave of feminism we got right now. Tired of black kids on campus whining all the time. Tired of everybody being so angry because without their alliance all you coloured folk would be doomed. Liberal but up to the point where it scrapes on privilege.

But heres the news. Youre a progressive. Youre supposed to progress. Youre supposed to be more liberal today than you were yesterday. Yes, were supposed to passionately debate (not tear down) even the stance of our allies, even those who agree with us 60% of the time. Youre supposed to keep changing your views on race because even the most positive view is inherently flawed and needs work. The whole point to being liberal, to being progressive is to continuously evolve, continuously question, continuously debate, even continuously knock down and build up, sometimes even ripping everything apart to start again. My views on trans people are different in 2014 that they were in 2004. And you can bet your ass it will be even better in 2024 than it is now, because that's what makes me not conservative. The point to being a progressive is to ****ing progress.

I live in Los Angeles, and the tension between police and blacks is still pretty thick. I always freeze up when I have to interact with a cop, or if one pulls me over for whatever reason.

My best friend, he's white and Persian (but looks white), was telling me about this one time him and his friend were driving on the freeway (his friend was black, my white friend was driving), and they got pulled over. When the officer got out of the car, he approached the black passenger and demanded that HE get out of the car, then proceeded to slam him against the car and cuff him, demanding answers to questions. My friend was like, "What the hell, dude, he wasn't even driving the car!" at which point he was told to shut the **** up by the officer, and he continued to harass his friend. ****ing unbelievable, but it happens regularly.

My mom also has plenty of stories about how the cops used to harass her when she was younger, and she worked at Warner Bros. studios before I was born. Granted, that was in the 70's, but sadly, not much has changed when it comes to how we're perceived by non-blacks. We're always treated like wild animals that have been caged for too long and can pop off at any moment.

Most black kids in America have been grilled time and time again by their parents about how they should behave and act when around white people. It sounds awful, because it is, but it's true. I had more than a few sit downs growing up, where my mother would drill into me how important it was to "not give them a reason" to think less of you. I grew up trying to be the most perfect black guy I could be. I did everything I could to show non-blacks that we were nothing like the people they saw on TV, or read about in the newspaper. I had no idea at the time that it really doesn't matter how polite I am. How intelligent I am, how "well spoken" I am. To a lot of them, I'm just an uppity nigger with a chip on his shoulder.

Even then, I still continue to be the best person that I can be. Not because I'm afraid of white people, but because it feels good to not be a douche canoe to others, and ideally, I'd hope the same courtesy would be returned to me. Unfortunately, this country has a real ****ing hard time seeing black people as equal humans. Centuries of dehumanization and demonizing has done a ****ing wonder on our PR, so to speak. Even other countries are afraid of us because of what they've seen and heard in the media or news reports that choose to highlight the worst of us more often than the best of us.

I'm a short, light skinned black/Samoan guy that most people don't realize is black. The **** I've heard some of the nicest people in the world say about black people in my presence is disheartening. The look on their faces when I tell them, "Well, I'm black too, you know," is ****ing priceless. And it wasn't just white people saying those things about black people to me, thinking I wasn't black. It was people of all ethnicities and backgrounds going on and on about how horrible, filthy, disgusting, and deplorable black people were, and how they were a hopeless race of people that no good ever comes out of.

Generally, they'd stammer a "Well, you're not like them" rebuttal when I'd out myself as a black guy. I was "one of the good ones." The sad thing is that, when I was younger, I used to wear that like a badge of honor. "I'm one of the good ones! The other blacks are bad!" I bought into the same institutional and systemic racism that leads to tragedies like this. The type of institutional racism that has black men and women that have managed to ascend higher than their peers to tell them to "pull their **** pants up." I'm not sure what you'd call it, but it's a shame that such a divide between our people has been allowed to propagate. I'm thankful that, as I got older, I realized how insulting and disrespectful being called "One of the good ones" really is. It's even sadder that, even to this day, it's still said to me by non-black friends, or family of friends. It's sad and frustrating that no matter what level of good blacks do in this country, we will always be judged by the actions of a few, and treated with the highest levels of fear and distrust.

Here's the thing.

Don't want to talk to your family about them being shameless racists or unapologetic, conspiracy-guzzling ******** morons? Fine, do you.

But DON'T assault me with your bull****. Because if that's the case, then you are NOT my ally, and I'm liable to cuss YO ass out.

It's just...its a feeling that goes beyond just offensive at this point. It feels like an assault. It feels like you're using me as your personal, emotional social justice cumrag. Like you get some sick ****ing pleasure out of waxing poetic to me about how bad you feel, how embarrassed you feel, how terrible this is for you to sit at the family table, or be present at the family function, and occasionally be subjected to the racist hate that I already know about because it's my mother****ing life, you dumb trick. And now, it's my job to stand there, look conciliatory, pat you on the ****ing back and comfort YOU. Because apparently this is now all about you, and how bad YOU feel being briefly exposed to the very hate I have to be in fear of every day of my black ass life. Congrats, what a mother****ing feat.

And of course oh, of course when I go to ask, "so, what did you do?" here comes the bull**** excuses about why you just couldn't stand up for the things you desperately want me to believe you give an actual **** about.

So, I've already put all my non-black friends on notice. If you can't speak up and speak out about what's right unless you're in a ****ing march surrounded by likeminded people with your dumb-looking pink pussy hat and your witty signs, if that's all you got...then you can miss my succulent black ass with your pleas for a pity party. I don't want to hear about your racist family dinners, or your racist cookouts, or your racist family reunions, or your racist hookups, or your racist office break rooms when I'm not present, or your racist D&D groups. Unless you want to tell me about how you almost flipped a table telling them about themselves, then shut the **** up talking to me. Because I'm not here to make you feel better about your silence, and your inaction.

And that's on dubs.

Misc:

• Other Hidden Figures
• The forgotten Black Heroes of Latin America Pt. 2
• The White washing of Dr. Martin Luther King
• The first time I realized I was black
• Black women unbothered by the police
• Black Astronauts
• Milestone Media. First Black owned comic company and first to focus on diversity.
• What ever happened to those white folks from those old photos?
• Who are the most well known and influential black people in the gaming industry?

Thread title dedicated to those who thought we might skip this year.

I mean seriously; Black History Month 2018 has been on a bunch of calendars for years. The reason is obvious.

By the way, the thread title is a song reference.


Credit to M Malyse for keeping hope alive for the past three years with the basic formatting.

As tradition dictates, I'll be updating this thread as we roll through.

 

[Vicetrailia]

Ayyye! Now that's an OP!

 

[Snorlocs]

Very well put together. I am impressed.

 

[<+)O Robido O(+>]

"But what about _____ History?"

http://racerelations.about.com/od/diversitymatters/tp/Celebrating-Cultural-Heritage-Months.htm
http://freethoughtblogs.com/crommunist/2013/02/03/why-isnt-there-a-white-history-month/

The "Create Thread" button is that way _____________________________>

lol

 

[Phoenix RISING]

At this point we leave Africa, not to mention it again. For it is no historical part of the World; it has no movement or development to exhibit. Historical movements in it-that is in its northern part-belong to the Asiatic or European World. Carthage displayed there an important transitionary phase of civilization; but, as a Phoenician colony, it belongs to Asia. Egypt will be considered in reference to the passage of the human mind from its Eastern to its Western phase, but it does not belong to the African Spirit. What we properly understand by Africa, is the Unhistorical, Undeveloped Spirit, still involved in the conditions of mere nature, and which had to be presented here only as on the threshold of the World's History.

~German philosopher George Wilhelm Freidrich Hegel, Lectures on the Philosophy of History, 1822-1830.

Imagine a philosopher of world renoun throwing that much shade at an entire continent. It is an inherit problem with world history being taught from an occidental orientation.

But what does this have to do with black history month, you ask? Well, black history--African American history--didn't start with slavery. Actually, it started before even America. As a whole bunch of countries to boot. Let's get started with some "pre-black history."

In 2015, archaeologists unearth the oldest human jawbone.

In the Bible, Moses flees from Egypt, and marries Zipporah, a Cushite. "Cush' is Hebrew for Africa (Ethiopia)

(photographer's rendition)

There are a lot of interpretations about biblical lineage in regards to Bathsheba, David's...um...stolen wife. What is up for debate is whether or not Hamites are brown, and therefore if Bathsheba is, herself of African descent. What's at stake here, is that not the first baby, who dies, but the second between this union becomes Solomon; in other words, it could be possible that Jesus the Christ, of Nazareth, could have African ancestry.

In fact, you'll see Africans (especially Ethiopians) mentioned frequently in the Bible, and the Hebrews often inter-married with them. Think about that the next time you see a white Jesus!

Assassin's Creed: Origins depicts Cleopatra as a woman who relies exceedingly on her...assets...more than her brain. But you're not the ruler of Egypt if you're daft. Actually, she was as clever as she was beautiful.

King Shaka of the Zulu Kingdom

In a story that sounds something similar to today's modern Black Panther, Zulu ascended to the throne in rather ruthless fashion. He is best known for "modernizing" African war tactics and formations in ways that might remind people of Spartans. Zulu, however, managed to unite the southern tip of Africa against European oppression, during his time.

Queen Nzingha

Still recognized in Angola for being a brilliant tactician in her battles against the Portuguese, who wanted slaves from vassal African states. She was also a persuasive diplomat, forming alliances with the Dutch.

Olaudah Equiano

Author of the first African autobiography, he is often referenced in discussions of Africans before the Transatlantic. In his opening chapters, he establishes that African slavery is nothing like the chattel systems in the Americas or Caribbean, but more like a penance for losing a battle, or being in debt--serious offenses, perhaps but comparatively reasonable in reality. They could marry among their families and earn. The implicit argument here, is that Africans did not "sell themselves into (American) slavery," not knowing of the horrors that would belie the lives in exchange. It was interference from Europeans which would spur the peculiar institution.

And with him, we would take the perilous voyage....

 

[MWS Natural]

Great job OP, surprised a thread like this is even allowed on New GAF.

 

[Beard of the Forest]

Great job OP, surprised a thread like this is even allowed on New GAF.

Care to elaborate? Is having people being allowed to defend themselves in discourse too troubling to you?

 

[Phoenix RISING]

Well, I *was* going to do this somewhat chronologically, but a friend of mine who graduated from Troy University posted on FB about how Mayor Jason Reeves declared yesterday "John Lewis Day."

Born in Troy, AL, to sharecroppers, John Lewis would come to be known as the youngest of the "Big Six," getting his career started in civil disobedience as young as 21 (so if you're reading this, I'd say that it's not too late to get started!) It was then, in 1960 that he was one of the original Freedom Riders. He also served as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC).

Really, the man's accomplishments go well beyond a simple wiki entry. He's one of the kinds of folks who literally put his life on the line for Civil Rights, sometimes *expecting* that he could die at any moment.

Remarkable courage. He is currently serving in the House of Representatives.

The Freedom Riders was comprised of multiracial activists. Here, John Lewis and James Zwerg a multiracial tend to their wounds after an attack.

Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1969, John Lewis receiving his fractured skull. from an officer who walked up and struck him without warning.

Get arrested for using a "whites only" restroom, brehs!

(Still) Getting arrested for becoming incorrigible concerning immigration reform.

Being honored at home for a lifetime of achievements.

 

[Musky_Cheese]

That’s a great OT. I’d like it twice if I could.

FYI Gaf... nows a great time to watch 42. Any month is a great time to watch a Jackie Robinson movie/documentary

 

[Phoenix RISING]

That’s a great OT. I’d like it twice if I could.

FYI Gaf... nows a great time to watch 42. Any month is a great time to watch a Jackie Robinson movie/documentary

My wife and kids watched it (I had to work). My kids were shocked to hear the n-word so much. Poor things, they have no idea.

Actually, I'm grateful that it's a shock to them because they're not exposed to all of that negativity. They have not needed to develop "armor" so that they could function in their day-to-day.

 

[NickFire]

That’s a great OT. I’d like it twice if I could.

FYI Gaf... nows a great time to watch 42. Any month is a great time to watch a Jackie Robinson movie/documentary

It really is a great movie for kids old enough to see that. It’s really eye opening for them into how awful people were to others before and how hurtful racist comments can be. Not to go to far off topic, but it’s also topical this month becaus baseball starts up around this time for the older kidleagues.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

My next entry was going to involve more a focus on the abolitionist efforts of self-liberation under bondage, but you know, time and all that.

In the meantime, this tweet is an excellent placeholder. Many forget that slaves were systematically denied opportunities to learn how to read and write. The reasons, even in modern times, should be obvious. With poor school and poor education, opportunities are limited, and one can only do so much--typically, what the hegemony wants: now, cheap labor; in Transatlantic Slave Trade beginning in the 15th century (that's the 1400s y'all), they desired peonage.

As indentured servants began to evaporate due to working out of their contracts, age, death, and lack (un)desire(ables) to send from European countries to the "uncultivated wilderness" that was the Americas, the slave trade's ruthlessness became more severe, as the demand cash crops like sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton exploded.

People complain about the working conditions of Amazon, well, that ain't ****! Those who have seen 12 Years a Slave or Underground or Birth of a Nation (2016) are still getting sanitized versions what what went down.



Obviously, the effects of (White) American Evangelism are still being felt today. I take comfort knowing that one day, they will have to stand before Jesus with the Book of Life and answer for this kind of blasphemy.

 

[Inuteu]

No Morgan Freeman video yet?

 

[Corrik]

That’s a great OT. I’d like it twice if I could.

FYI Gaf... nows a great time to watch 42. Any month is a great time to watch a Jackie Robinson movie/documentary

I thought 42 was a really bad quality movie.

I suggest Remember the Titans, Glory Road, and the Express moreso if you want good sports movies dealing with race. (Yeah I know the significance of Jackie. Just didn't think the movie was well made)

 

[VAL0R]

There are a lot of interpretations about biblical lineage in regards to Bathsheba, David's...um...stolen wife. What is up for debate is whether or not Hamites are brown, and therefore if Bathsheba is, herself of African descent. What's at stake here, is that not the first baby, who dies, but the second between this union becomes Solomon; in other words, it could be possible that Jesus the Christ, of Nazareth, could have African ancestry.

Solomon is actually described in some physical detail through the eyes of a female admirer in the biblical book Song of Solomon. From my reading of the passage she seems to be describing a caucasian of some sort, or at the very least, not an African black man.

10 My beloved is dazzling and ruddy,
Outstanding among ten thousand.
11 “His head is like gold, pure gold;
His locks are like clusters of dates
And black as a raven.
12 “His eyes are like doves
Beside streams of water,
Bathed in milk,
And [p]reposed in their setting.
13 “His cheeks are like a bed of balsam,
Banks of sweet-scented herbs;
His lips are lilies
Dripping with liquid myrrh.
14 “His hands are rods of gold
Set with beryl;
His abdomen is carved ivory
Inlaid with [q]sapphires.
15 “His legs are pillars of alabaster
Set on pedestals of pure gold;
His appearance is like Lebanon
Choice as the cedars.
16 “His [r]mouth is full of sweetness.
And he is wholly desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.

She says he has a golden/red "ruddy" complexion. She emphasizes the gold-ness of his skin on places we would expect a man to be tanned by the sun (head, hands and feet ["pedastals"]). He has long black hair in clusters of curls "dates." (I'd guess he likely inherited his curls from his father David who we know was said to have been a very handsome man with curly hair.) He has an ivory white (not golden) abdomen (because the abdomen isn't exposed to tanning). The same is true for his legs which are two pillars of alabaster (a white stone) set on pedestals of gold. As a white guy who often wears open toed shoes in the summer, this seems like an obvious reference to his white legs, which aren't getting much sun, above his feet that are made gold by the sun through exposure.

Interestingly though, she describes herself like this:

“I am black but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.
“Do not stare at me because I am swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me caretaker of the vineyards,

So, I'm not sure if she is saying here that she has become "black" (ie "very dark"?) by the cruelty of her brothers who made her work so long and hard in the hot sun which "burned" her (implying she was not always "burned," ie black). She does seem to be saying became black through the sun's influence and therefore wasn't always such.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

Hmm, this is relevant. Dude seems to be a go-to when it comes to important characters in the Black Imagination.

 

[TrainedRage]

Every kid in school should HAVE to watch this!

 

[The Sane Psycho]

This is a really good OT, and black people do deserve recognition for their accomplishments, but please don't recommend anything by Amirox. The guy was a piece of subhuman garbage who beat the shit out of his mom, scammed Gaffers out of their money so he could buy drugs, and had kiddie porn on his computer. The first two are bad enough as it is, but that third thing is what really makes him a worthless piece of shit. As far as I'm concerned, pedophiles are foul, disgusting creatures who don't even deserve the privilege of living, let alone recognition.

With that out of the way, I would like to give black people recognition for their contributions to music. Jazz, blues, rock, soul, funk, r&b, rap, disco, reggae, ska, and house music were all either invented by black people or had highly influential black musicians in their development. For that, I thank you.