Hi, Tom, well, looks like I have a lot of reading to do... But I not only
think that this is important reading for black people, but really for all
people...
Because we are all for the most part given the Western, Eurocentric
view of things. In fact, as I'm sitting here thinking of it, when I was in
school, I don't remember ever being taught any black hsitory or anything
like that. Well, except for a little brushing over of the subejct during
Black History Month, and maybe on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday...
I am not sure when or where, but at some point, I realized that there
were other people different than myself, and I made it a point to learn
about them... I thought that this world was filled with so many kinds of
people and so many different experiences and stories...
I am not saying I am better than anyone else for taking this step,
because I think everyone should do it.
But I know what it is like to be "different", being totally blind. And
I know what it is like to be treated differently and to be stereotyped...
When I was about 11 or 12, that is when I amde the discovery that there were
different cultures and colors and so forth. And instead of developing
prejudices, I glady embraced the differences, and tried to learn as much as
I could. Because I wanted to understand. And I didn't want to turn around
and make assumptions about others, as is so often done to me.
It has always and still bothers me to this day, how people can be so
ignorant and hateful toward people... Because they are white, black,
Jewish, Christian, Muslim, whatever, but just because they are different.
You know, just yesterday, there was a Ku Klux Klan rally in Gary, Indiana,
which is the next city over from me.
The news media was making a big deal about it, and I just didn't know
what to think about it. I kept thinking that if people would just ignore
them they'd all go away. But then who knows. It just goes to show that
even in the era after the Civil Rights Movement, things in some ways haven't
really changed...
Hey, sadly, there are probably some members of my family who probably
would ahve attended that rally, and not as counter protesters either...
OK, I am going to end this now. Because it is starting to get off
topic... Just suffice it to say I will try to find these books, if I can,
even if I have to go to more than a few different libraries...
Because I am really interested in reading all of this...
Take care all...
Ginny
I have find most of the books tha
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Coker" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2001 9:49 PM
Subject: Fwd: Re: IT's NOT NOT NOT NOT A BLACK THING...
> Brother Lamin Ceesay, need I say anything? My brother Prince have said it
> all.
> I wish to thank Sidi, Joe, Bakary, Pa Ali, Latjor, Ginny and my brother
> Prince. The history of black people is linked together like the chains
that
> bind our fore Fathers, Mothers, Sisters and Brothers accross the atlantic
to
> slavery. BLACK people have contributed so much to the development of this
> world and we should be proud of it.
>
> BLACK people, not only Gambians, African Americans or Egyptians; but Black
> people in the diaspora must rewrite their history and do away with those
> distorted aculturated Euro centric history books that were written for us.
>
> Latjor, thanks for the reading list,I wish to add three books more to the
> list for our brother:
> (1) THE DESTRUCTION OF BLACK CIVILIZATION by CHANCELLOR WILLIAMS
> (2) THE AFRICAN ORIGIN OF WESTERN RELIGION by YOSES BEN JOCHANNAN
> (3)PAN-AFRICANISM AND NATIONALISM IN WEST AFRICA 1900-1945 by J.AYODELE
> LANGLEY.
>
> By the way Mr.Lamin Ceesay, I am not an AFRICAN-AMERICAN, I AM A WAA
BANJUL
> from soldier town with a Christian name.
>
> We must be mindful not to be "INTELLECTUALLY FLIPANT" when we discuss
issues
> of such importance.
>
> Tom Ola Coker
>
>
>
> >>From: Lamin Ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> >><[log in to unmask]>
> >>To: [log in to unmask]
> >>Subject: Re: IT's NOT NOT NOT NOT A BLACK THING...
> >>Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2001 00:19:20 -0000
> >>
> >>what a pity. I can't believe that members of the list actually fall for
> >>this
> >>afrocentric crap.this is nothing other than pseudo-intellectualism.it is
> >>,i
> >>guess,just a way by the growing middle class african-american, blacks
etc
> >>to
> >>satisfy their ego.before posting this i guess you should thoroughly
> >>figure
> >>out their history and why they 've all got anglo-saxon christian names,i
> >>wonder who invented the car, discovered the electricity that ran the
> >>iron!
> >>I won't even go into the open heart surgery.I have nothing against black
> >>Americans but I think that their obsession with cross cultural
comparison
> >>with whites in America is sad and not the right way to find their
> >>identity.whats next you going to tell us that the egyptians were
> >>black,that
> >>the mandingoes(Malians) crossed the atlantic before columbus or the
> >>classic
> >>cleopatra was BLACK.the world would just go on with or without blacks,
> >>africans ,whites,indians etc.
> >>finally you dont have to believe every thing you see on the
> >>internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>----- Original Message -----
> >>From: "Tom Coker" <[log in to unmask]>
> >>To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Sent: Saturday, March 10, 2001 7:23 PM
> >>Subject: Re: IT's A BLACK THING...FOR REAL, IT IS!
> >>
> >>
> >> > "Author Unknown"
> >> > This is a story of a little boy named Theo, who woke up one morning
and
> >> > asked his mother: what if there were no black people in the world?
> >>Well,
> >>his
> >> > mother thought about that for a moment, and then said: son, follow me
> >>around
> >> > today, and let's just see what it would be like if there were no
black
> >> > people in the world. Now go and get dressed and we'll get started.
> >> >
> >> > Theo ran to his room to put on his clothes and shoes. His mother took
> >>one
> >> > look at his room and said: Theo, where are your shoes? And your
clothes
> >>are
> >> > all wrinkled son, I must iron them. But when she reached for the
> >>ironing
> >> > board, it was no longer there. You see Sarah Boone, a black woman
> >>invented
> >> > the ironing board and Jan E. Matzelinger, a black man, invented the
> >>shoe
> >> > lasting machine.
> >> >
> >> > Oh, well, she said, please go and do something to your hair. Theo ran
> >>to
> >>his
> >> > room to comb his hair, but the comb was not there. You see, Walter
> >>Sammons,
> >> > a black man, invented the comb. Theo decided to just brush his hair.
> >>But
> >>the
> >> > brush was gone. You see, Lyndia O. Newman, a black woman invented the
> >>hair
> >> > brush.
> >> >
> >> > Well, this was a sight: no shoes, wrinkled clothes, hair a mess, even
> >>Mom's
> >> > hair. Without the hair care inventions of Madame C.J. Walker. . .
Well
> >>you
> >> > get the picture, Mom told Theo.
> >> >
> >> > Mom asked Theo to go around and get a pencil and some paper to
prepare
> >>the
> >> > list for the market. So Theo ran for the paper and pencil, but
noticed
> >>that
> >> > the pencil lead was broken. Well, he was out of luck because John
Love,
> >>a
> >> > black man, invented the pencil sharpener. Mom then reached for the
pen
> >>but
> >> > it was not there, because William Purvis, a black man, invented the
> >>fountain
> >> > pen.
> >> >
> >> > As a matter of fact, Lee Burridge invented the typewriting machine,
and
> >>W.A.
> >> > Lovette, invented the advanced printing press.
> >> >
> >> > Theo and his mother decided to jead out to the market. Well, when
Theo
> >> > opened the door, he noticed that the grass was as high as he was
tall.
> >>You
> >> > see, the lawn mover was invented by Jon Burr, a black man.
> >> >
> >> > They made their way to the car, and found that it would not go. You
see
> >> > Richard Spikes, a black man, invented the automatic gear shift, and
> >>Joseph
> >> > Gammel, invented the supercharge system for internal combustion
> >>engines.
> >> > They noticed that the few cars that were moving, were running into
each
> >> > other and having wrecks, because there were no traffic signals. You
see
> >> > Garret A. Morgan, a black man, invented traffic lights.
> >> >
> >> > Well, it was getting late, so they walked to the market, got their
> >>groceries
> >> > and returned home. Just when they were about to put away the milk,
> >>eggs,
> >>and
> >> > butter, they noticed that the refrigerator was gone. . .You see John
> >> > Standard, a black man, invented the refrigerator. So they left the
food
> >>on
> >> > the counter.
> >> >
> >> > By this time, Theo noticed that he was getting mighty cold. Mom went
to
> >>turn
> >> > on the heat, and what do you know, Alice Parker, a black woman,
> >>invented
> >>the
> >> > heating furnace. Even in the summertime, they would have been out of
> >>luck,
> >> > because Frederick Jones, a black man invented the air conditioner.
> >> >
> >> > It was almost time for Theo's father to arrive home. He usually takes
> >>the
> >> > bus. But there was no bus, because its precursor, the electric
trolley,
> >>was
> >> > invented by another black man, Elbert R. Robinson.
> >> >
> >> > He usually takes the elevator from his office on the 20th floor, but
> >>there
> >> > was no elevator, because Alexander Miles, a black man, invented the
> >> > elevator.
> >> >
> >> > He usually drops off the office mail at a nearby mail box, but it was
> >>no
> >> > longer there, because Phillips Dawning, a black man, invented the
> >>letter
> >> > drop mailbox and William Barry, another black man, invented the post
> >>marking
> >> > and canceling machine.
> >> >
> >> > Theo and his mother sat at the table, with their heads in their
hands.
> >>When
> >> > Theo's father asked: why are you sitting in the dark? Why? Because
> >>Lewis
> >> > Howard Latimer, a black man, invented the filament within the light
> >>bulb.
> >> >
> >> > Theo quickly learned what it would be like if there were no black
> >>people
> >>in
> >> > the world. Not to mention if he were ever sick and needed blood,
> >>because
> >> > Charles Drew, a Black scientist, discovered the way to preserve and
> >>store
> >> > blood, which lead to the first blood bank.
> >> >
> >> > And what if a family member had to have heart surgery, this would not
> >>have
> >> > been possible without Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, a Black doctor, who
> >> > performed the first open heart surgery.
> >> >
> >> > So if you ever wonder, like Theo, where would we be without Black
> >>people?
> >> > Well, it's pretty plain to see. We would still be in the dark.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _________________________________________________________________
> >> > Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
> >> >
> >> >
>
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