It’s time to change our approach to Black History
Our heroic approach has been to primarily concentrate on the heroes and heroines that have carried the torch. Truly, Martin, Malcom and Ms. Rosa Parks are towering figures, but there are tens of thousands of unknown and unsung titans that have changed the course of history.
IN MEMORIAM: John Lewis, an American Hero and Moral Leader Alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., Dies at 80
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The 1965 Selma march was led by John Lewis. Lewis was perhaps the last remaining voice of moral authority from the civil rights era. Voting rights remains a challenge in the U.S. Lewis was on the front lines of that effort which was resisted by white racists in the South attempting to stifle Black voting power for decades. Lewis’ efforts and the increase in Black voting registration of African Americans in the South changed U.S. politics forever. The power of Black voters was first seen nationally with the election of President Jimmy Carter in 1976.
FILM REVIEW — John Lewis: Civil Rights Lion Gets into Good Trouble in Dawn Porter Documentary
NNPA NEWSWIRE — On what would be called Bloody Sunday, Lewis, who at the time was Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) along with other civil rights lions like Reverend Hosea Williams (SCLC) continued on their march despite then Governor Wallace’s threats and were attacked by the police, sending 58 people to the hospital.
COMMENTARY: The American Economic System Works Just Fine—for White People
NNPA NEWSWIRE — As President of the Texas Black Expo (TBE), my primary interest is the economic part of the system—the creation and growth of Black-owned business enterprises. You’d think that such an effort would be greeted with universal approval from everybody, regardless of ethnicity. What could possibly be wrong with strengthening the economic position of Black businesses—and therefore Black families? Don’t we believe in capitalism, free markets, and the positive power of entrepreneurship, regardless of the color of the entrepreneur?
