Black History 2023
Junious Ricardo Stanton
“Critical race theory is an academic concept that is more than 40 years old. The core idea is that race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies.” What is Critical Race Theory and Why Is It Under Attack by Stephen Sawchuk
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-... As we acknowledge Black History month in 2023 we need to recognize and internally address the escalating attacks on scholarship, truth and the nexus between racial oppression and our miseducation. The backlash against the 1619 Project has been far reaching and deep. Recently Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rejected the implementation of an advanced placement Black Studies program saying the courses had a political agenda that he opposed.
I hate to break it to you but everything is political, everything has an agenda. The issue/question is do we want power for ourselves, do we have an agenda for the betterment of ourselves and our people, do we really know and appreciate what education can do for us?
We cannot allow ourselves to get caught up in white folks’ paranoia, their delusions of power and domination. We need to know our own history and we need to teach it from a perspective that edifies us, that’s what other ethnic groups do, why not us?
The backlash and ire over “critical race theory” is not our issue! So what if white folks don’t like it, they didn’t like the ideas of emancipation, civil rights, Black Power or Afrocentricity either.
We cannot allow others to dictate to us what we should know, how we should see and feel about ourselves if we are to truly be free, self-determined and intelligent people. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves about our history and place in the world. We cannot be worthy participants at the table in a pluralistic multi-ethnic society if we do not know who we are, what we have accomplished and what we can offer to the global collective!
Rather than debate whether or not critical race theory is valid or not, whether it is political or has an agenda, I’m going to offer a simple solution that is thousands of years old which is; Know Thyself! This is easier said than done, it requires arduous work and dedication, and perhaps this is why so few of us attempt to do it or accomplish it.
Where do we begin? First we must have the desire to know about ourselves and our people, our history and our place in the world. We must hunger and thirst for it so much so we are willing to sacrifice our time effort and energy to quench it.
There is an old axiom that says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”. Yeshua Bar Joseph the man the Europeans renamed Jesus put it this way, “Seek and you will find, ask and it will be given to you, know and the door will be opened.”
I have been on a personal and collective self-knowledge quest for several decades. I am about to experience my seventy-fifth trip around the son and I am still seeking, asking and knocking. I have found much, I have been given much and many doors have been opened to me. I am extremely grateful for it all.
As we celebrate Black History 2023 I am going to share just a few sources from Black scholars and researchers I feel serious students of African History should become familiar with. Keep in mind this is an extremely short list of books but one I hope will serve as a catalyst for further reading, research and discovery on your part, which will propel you to even greater success in your quest. I heartily recommend these books on Global African History and the African influence on the world plus as a bonus, here is a Website I encourage you to visit frequently;
http://www.realhistoryww.com: When The World Was Black The Untold History of The World’s First Civilizations Parts 1 and 2 by Supreme Understanding ISBN: 978-1-935721-37-6.
https://supremedesignonline.com A History of African Civilizations by Prof. Manu Ampim ISBN:978-1-7336652-0-9
When We Ruled by Robin Walker ISBN: 978-1-58073-045-7
The World and Africa by W.E.B. DuBois ISBN:978-1-61427-875-7
Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization by Anthony T. Browder ISBN:0-924944-03-X
The African Origin of Civilization by Cheikh Anta Diop ISBN: 1-55652-072-7
Wonderful Ethiopians Of The Ancient Cu****e Empire by Drusilla Dunjee Houston Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 89-090991
The History of Africa The Quest For Eternal Harmony by Molefi Kete Asante
ISBN: 9781138710375
The Destruction of Black Civilization by Chancellor Williams ISBN: 0-88378- 30-5
Origins: Timechart of World Civilizations Wholistic Worldview of Cultures and Civilizations by O.K. Owusu ISBN:0-9640908-0-5
Stolen Legacy by George G.M. James ISBN:0-917138-09-1
The Journey Of The Songhai People Pan African Federation Organization ISBN: 1-880205-30-0
They Came Before Columbus by Ivan Van Sertima ISBN: 0394402456
During Black History Month 2023 I will share additional resources on topics of relevance to our reeducation and redemption.
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Posted By: Junious Stanton
Tuesday, February 14th 2023 at 9:06AM
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