What have Blacks achieved after Selma and Black History Month?
By Roger Caldwell
Black History Month and the commemoration of 50 years of the crossing of Edmund Pettus Bridge on bloody Sunday in Selma are over, and I wonder if it means anything to Black America. In 2015 Blacks celebrate everything, but do our people see a connection between the state of our community and Black History? The older generation understands the importance of politics, and history, but to the majority of younger Blacks there is no connection to these historical events.
There is a generational divide within our race, and the older generation is emotionally engaged, while the younger generation is more concerned with making money, and buying fancy things. When I was a young man, my father would tell me how he wore the same shoes all year long with holes in them. I would listen, but the next week, I was asking for a new pair of converse sneakers, because I was dealing with now.
“And because of men and women like John Lewis, Joseph Lowery, Hosea William, Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Dr. King, and so many more, the idea of a just America, a fair America, an inclusive America, a generous America,— that idea ultimately triumphed,” says President Obama in his speech at Selma.
To the younger generation, all of the president’s speeches are starting to sound the same, and many Blacks in America are asking if he believes his own words.
The majority of younger Black men and women are asking the question, “Do Blacks Really Matter in America?” They do not believe that there is justice in America, and the Police Departments are not fair.
In Ferguson, it was established by the DOJ that the police and legal system were corrupt and racism existed comprehensively, from the top to the bottom. From the report, it was obvious that racism was systemic, and the Black community was being discriminated and mistreated.
So when it comes to Black History, most young and many Blacks in general don’t have any idea what Joseph Lowery, Ralph Abernathy and Hosea William did, and why they should be important to them. Instead most young Blacks know who Jayz, Beyonce, Lil Wayne and LeBron James are. They are not interested in politics and many do not understand the power of the vote.
Black History Month is an afterthought for most young Blacks, and many of our children receive very little teaching about this month, because their parents don’t see it as important. There is a divide in the Black community with our holidays, and Black history is defined by the younger generation and most Blacks as irrelevant.
The divide between the generations in the Black community must be resolved if we plan to fix the problems of Black love, Black health, Black unity, the Black family, Black finances, Black politics and Black trust. The president can make prolific speeches for the next 21 months, but it is time for the talking to end and the action to begin. There is psychological warfare being waged against the Black community every day, and Black minds are being destroyed.
Black History and Selma is not important to our community, because Black pride, Black trust, and Black love are not a priority in 2015. Our community’s thinking and education is a reflection of our culture and history, and at the present time our lifestyle is focused on our self-destruction.
Black History month and events such as Selma should be a time of reflection and planning for an execution of a Black Agenda. If our history and cultural events are not significant or important to the race, family or church, why should our children, our younger generation, and Blacks in general care?
