Why do I hear so many people quote W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Stokeley Carmichael, Che Guevara, etc. that have never read any of those leaders' works?
In the same way that a news broadcast can twist the words of Obama or McCain, revisionists can pick and choose quotes that fit their needs, deactivating the actual knowledge and intent behind those words.
For example, I've heard many attributes associated with Booker T. Washington that have absolutely no basis in fact. We would know this, if more of us took the time to actually read
Up from Slavery and see what his opinions really were.
Much of what we think we know about the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panthers, and countless Black leaders is false history. Washington was not an accomodationist. DuBois did not eschew the dignity of labor. The Panthers did not believe in Black supremacy. The NAACP had more White and Jewish founding members than Blacks. The only way for us to actuallly realize these facts is to go straight to the source.
Far too often, we rely on the Black History Cliffs Notes. We summarize the philosophies of great leaders in a paragraph. We condense a lifetime of struggle into a bullet list of key places or achievements.
Take the time to read. It matters!
Posted By: Jon C.
Friday, August 8th 2008 at 4:06PM
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