[...] In the early 1970s I wrote in a textbook, "All roads lead to slavery when we attempt to understand black culture in the United States." Still true, but less so. The growing number of African immigrants means that many black Americans do not share the legacy of American slavery. The recent election of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the son of a native Kenyan, exemplifies that fact.
But greater demographic complexity and the changing color metaphors do not nullify the agenda for Black History Month. Most black Americans are descendants of slaves who arrived in chains or were born here. They suffered middle passage, chattel slavery and Jim Crow. And they prevailed.
The cornerstone institution of the American black community was and still is the black church. Such also apparently is the case with the newest immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and South America. Dodson and Diouf write of the crucial role played by their churches: "...African religious institutions have taken on new roles in response to the needs of an immigrant population. They serve as orientation focal points for recent immigrants, conference halls, community and counseling centers, religious schools, temporary shelters, and mutual aid societies. They have become referral centers, and imams and clergy often act as intermediaries between undocumented congregants and the authorities."
So while the lecture notes need updating, the story needs to be told as part of our national continuing education. It is the incredible and unfinished story of a people "in motion."
| That's the end of Leo Sandon's Tallahassee Democrat (via Fort Wayne News-Sentinel) op-ed essay "Black history remains important"
posted in articles on March 3, 2005 5:16 AM | t (0)
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