This week, we welcome guest blogger Dark Star to our 32 Days of Black History celebration. At Dark Star Spouts Off, he gives you his straight-no-chaser views about politics, media, and popular culture, particularly as they relate to black folks. Twice (and counting), Dark Star has been invited to share his views on NPR’s Blogger Roundtable (here and here). Today, he shares with us his best-laid plans for blogging about Black history.
I was going to blog about Black history and how the events in my family's background is woven into the basic Black history we learned.
My family came from South Carolina and settled in Baltimore and New York as part of the Northern Migration. Members of my family became nurses after having been school at the Negro Nursing School named Provident Hospital. (I blogged about it here.)
I was going to write about a late great aunt who was a member of The Links. I remember her going to a lot of social events but it wasn't until she passed did I discover how much The Links meant to her and how much she meant to The Links.
Instead, the other day I read a letter to the editor from Mychal Massie and that all changed. You see, I had to wonder why discussions about closing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) always seem to bubble up and why the question is never asked, "Why don't we close Historically White Colleges and Universities (HWCUs)".
And, I'm very serious about this.
I wrote a response to it here and a follow-up to it here.
Why does integration have to come at the expense of Black history?
It's bad enough that Fisk is in financial trouble. It's bad enough that Morgan State University has to fight the Maryland regents and beg the Maryland State Assembly to get money for infrastructure and to improve programs? Periodically, the Maryland State Assembly floats the idea of merging Morgan State University and Coppin State University. But why should either school lose their history?
At a recent family gathering, I heard the older family members reminisce about skipping school to see James Brown and the Jaybees and seeing each other there as well as their teachers. From time to time, they laugh about two or three of the families living under one roof. They laugh, and argue, about who did the "real work" in my grandfather's coal and wood business.
When I talk with my mother and cousins, I sit back and marvel at the tales of everyone sitting around the table on Friday evening, my grandfather spreading out the money earned that week, and grandfather and grandmother sorting the money to pay the bills. I don't want to lose that Black history, so I have decided to use my video camera to capture my family history.
And if you have attended an HBCU, please give them money. Please help keep them around for a spell.
| We are currently observing 32 Days of Black History! Deesha at Mamalicious! and I are joined by Tami; Inkognegro; Christina; and Chris. |