IMPORTANCE OF TALES IN BLACK HISTORY
American celebrates black history in the month of February every year. The event re-emphasizes the black struggles in America and indeed throughout the Diaspora. The basis of this celebration rest on oral history, called our tales. Our tale is whom we are, how we got to where we are. What is our past and what does it teach us. Our story is our history and it is for all generations. A logical revelation is that exploring what happened in our past, explains how some things we often take for granted – our customs, ideas, and institutions, came to be”. Little wonder why historians at every opportunity always make case for study of history, as well as why parents should tell their upspring tales of their past.
Most prominent African-Americans and Africans from motherland called on African-American and black people worldwide to stand up for the challenges of building strong families and strengthening our communities. African-Americans have suffered neglects, discrimination and segregation. Africans should join hands with their brothers of African-Americans in building strong community by participating meaningfully in the celebration; offer special prayers in all places of worship for divine intervention, protection and strengthening during this year’s celebration of Black history month.
A world statesman and historian Winston Churchill made this statement years ago, and I quote: “Every nation or group of nations has its own tale to tell. Knowledge of trials and struggles is necessary to all who would comprehend the problems, trials, challenges and opportunities which confront us today.” Simple put, a study of history put modern ideas and institutions in perspective. Another great mind and philosopher George Santayana commented, “Those who cannot remember their past are condemned to repeat it”. Santayana’s’ philosophy subscribes to the thought that contemporary society can benefit and learn from studying the past. Victoria Sherrow in her book “The Titanic” further opined “studying an event that led up to major wars or other significant historical events would allow society to chart a different and more favorable course in the future”.
Macmillan school dictionary defined history as a story or record of what has happened in the past as a nation, nations or people usually including the development of ideas and institutions as well as specific events. That’s history? David MacCullough, Pulitzer prize winner commented, “History shows us how we behave; teaches and reinforces what we believe in, what we stand for and what we ought to be willing to stand up for. It is about life, human nature and the human condition, and all its trials, failings and noblest achievements. History is about cause and effect, about the simplest of everyday things and the mysteries of change and genius.” History reveals choices before us just as it teaches the evils of injustices, ignorance and demagoguery on one hand, it also teaches the potency of courage, appreciation, patriotism and real love for one’s country on the other hand. “What we are, everything we have – our values, heritage, great institution, laws, music, art and poetry, our freedom, government and people is because some persons went before us and did great hard jobs. They made sacrifices, faced hardship, fought wars and “face storms;” provided creative energy, conducive environment and kept the faith. Many lost their lives, some fractured while others endured pains, suffered for infraction, like: imprisonment and persecutions etc, to get to where we are. As unsettling as events appear today, our predecessors had known worst days as ourselves. To feel indifference about our history can not just be considered lack of interest and ignorance but a form of ingratitude.”
An oracle in one of the December 2002 Digest also opined that history encourages as nothing else does, a sense of proportion about life, gives us a sense of how brief, short and frail our time/life is on earth and how valuable that time is. It further adduces that history speaks volumes on the time we live-era of momentous change, creating great pressure and illusions. It shows we learn fast during times of tumult and effect changes. Historian Barbara Tuchman put it in two words “Tell stories” which means history is our story, learns it, upholds it and enjoys it. History is not only a civil way; it is an extension of life, enlarges and intensifies the experience of being alive.
We are no doubt aware of the tremendous benefits in studying one’s past and telling tales to our children. We need to rejuvenate tale telling at home since charity begins there. Time Warner cable school magazine on history and technology effort is commendable when it started featuring the introduction of oral history in classroom through resources such as video tapes, written scripts, and video documentaries, as part of classroom curriculum. This is passive oral history. It also includes to a large extent internet resources for information/data. Also through active oral history project, student research topics, conduct their own interviews and analyze the result. By so doing student gain authentic writing experience which requires critical thinking and create historical demonstration.
Despite this great awareness, we still have been raising generations that know very little of African American struggles for freedom. Our tales is our fight for liberation, equal right and opportunities in distribution of God’s given resources. We are losing our tales, forgetting who we are and how what it took to come this far. This is reflected in the repeated mistake of the past often made by today’s generation. Some, who are privileged to learn our tales, do not act it. They are neither not being challenged by the struggles of our ancestors nor challenged, but react wrongly. They make wrong choices and do stupid things and end up in wrong places. They appear to be fighting the 21st century war with pre-civilization strategies and ammunitions. That ends in defeat.
We need to tell ourselves the truth and real truth. Solution to African American struggles is not found in drugs, violence, peer pressure or other dumb things that conflicts with the laws of the land constituting disgrace to humanity. True liberation comes from experiencing God, education and building a strong family. This also supports the Ujamma’s fourth principle of Kwanzaa on cooperative economics of building self-sufficient communities and family of interdependence. By so doing we shall be able sustain ourselves, provide for our needs- schools, jobs etc and build supportive neighborhood. We shall then together stand up for our rights, making descenting voices against ills of inhumanity and right the wrongs of the past in this generation.
Reach Evangelist Godswill Ogbonnaya@weefreeministries.org or P. O. Box 720035, Houston, Texas, 77272.
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