Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 16, 1994 TAG: 9402180024
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFFREY L. ARTIS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Unfortunately, there are many who misunderstand the importance of such an event or who think black history does not deserve any special tribute. Some of these people believe that celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday is enough of a black history celebration, although his birthday is in January. Some, lacking knowledge on the subject, think that all there is to black history is slavery, Uncle Tom and Little Black Sambo.
Some have told me they are afraid during Black History Month. They fear young blacks will use the month as an excuse to seek revenge for past racial injustices.
These people are missing the point of Black History Month. Black History Month is a celebration not only of black history, but a celebration of American history as told from the black perspective. It is a time to pay tribute to those blacks and black accomplishments that, for whatever reason, have been omitted from American history books.
If there is a flaw in black history celebrations, it is the usual omission of the accomplishments of black women, who have played an important part in shaping the black community as well as the country. History usually is written and presented from the male perspective. Black history is no exception. We hear of the Kings, Garveys, Washingtons and the like, but seldom about the many women who made historical contributions equal to men's. I would like to pay tribute to those black women who have been instrumental in making our society a much better place to live.
There is no better example of fortitude, courage and heroism in our history than that exhibited by the black female slave. While history has her portrayed as a brutish, Aunt Jemima stereotype, she is, in reality, the essence of a true woman. Not only did she overcome the brutality, exploitation and barbarism of American slavery, she, along with her male counterpart, was primarily responsible for the economic well-being of America in the 18th and l9th century. She provided the labor needed to supply raw materials for American industry, in addition to laying the foundation for the post-slave black family.
Out of slavery came two outstanding black women, Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) and Isabella Baumfree, better known as Sojourner Truth (1797-1893). Tubman is best known for her work with the Underground Railroad. She helped more than 300 slaves escape to freedom while having a $40,000 bounty on her for her capture. Truth is best known for her work in the area of human rights for women and blacks. After the Civil War, she was appointed to the Freedmen's Bureau to train black women for employment. She became a leading spokeswoman against Jim Crow, the practice of legal segregation in the United States.
In the area of education came Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), and Septima Clark, born in 1898. Bethune started her own school in 1904 with five black girls. The school was built on an abandoned town dump. Bethune raised money for the school by selling sweet-potato pies she and her students baked at night. Eventually the school became Bethune Cookman College in Florida. Bethune served as president until 1942. From there, she became a special assistant to Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
Clark is best known for her Citizenship School at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee beginning in 1950. She specialized in teaching illiterate adults to read and become teachers. She also taught blacks how to register to vote and helped them pass the racist literacy tests that were used to deny them this right.
In the area of politics came Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954), Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hamer. From 1895 until her death, Terrell was a spokeswoman for black women through the National Association of Colored Women. She helped end segregation in our nation's capital.
Baker's work is overshadowed by Martin Luther King. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference would never have become the organization it is if it weren't for Baker. She ran the organization in its early days on a shoestring budget without pay. Her organizational skills allowed King to concentrate in areas that would not have been possible if not for her dedication to the organization and to the civil-rights movement. Baker left the SCLC to help with the Freedom Rides in the early 1960s.
Hamer is best know for her work as vice chairwoman of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party at the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City. She let the country know about the racist practices of the Mississippi Democratic Party and of life in general for blacks in that state. Her work eventually brought about changes in the Mississippi Democratic Party and allowed blacks to join without fear of losing their lives.
It is impossible to list all the black women who have been instrumental in helping form the foundation of black history. Their accomplishments, often in life-threatening situations, should not go unnoticed, especially during a period set aside to pay tribute to them. Black History Month not only celebrates black history and American history, it celebrates the history of black women as well.
\ Jeffrey L. Artis, who is in charge of the in-school suspension program at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, formerly taught history at William Fleming.
by CNB