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From the Ramparts

Junious Ricardo Stanton

Make History, Not Excuses

“All great people glorify their history and look back upon their early attainments with a spiritual vision.” Kelly Miller 1906

As we celebrate Black History Month 2012 it baffles me that we the people with the longest most storied chronicle of achievement and greatness in human existence only celebrate ourselves during the shortest month of the year rather than year 'round. The truth is, we always need to validate and reaffirm ourselves and honor our ancestors by remembering their accomplishments as a way to build for the future. As I write this I'm looking at a hand carved wooden figure on the top of my computer nook of the Sankofa bird. Sankofa is an Adinkra word and symbol from the Akan people of Ghana. Their symbols and icons re-enforce their world view and cultural values. These symbols are the guides and glue that holds their culture together from generation to generation. Sankofa means “go back to the past in order to build for the future” The Adinkra Dictionary A Visual Primer on The Language of Adinkra by W. Bruce Willis page 198. One of the symbols for the idea and word Sankofa is a bird. The author of the Adinkra Dictionary A Visual Primer on The Language of Adinkra W. Bruce Willis writes, “Sankofa is symbolic of the spiritual mindset and cultural awakening African people are experiencing in the decades after independence on the African continent. Though the concept may seem new, it is an old tradition that links a people to the discovery of their past, which is a fundamental building block for the future.” ibid page 198

It is vitally important that African people discover and re-member our history, meaning reconnect to our genetic and cultural memories. Why? Because in so doing we will learn about the greatness, genius and resilience of our ancestors. Black history is world history. Black History transcends even the accomplishments of the aboriginal inhabitants of Africa! Black history is more than remembering or reciting dates and periods. It is painting in our minds a broad canvas and tapestry documenting the activities and accomplishments of the first humans to walk upright and organize civil society (civilization). Our ancestors not only invented tools of wood, stone and metal, we invented things we normally take for granted such as government, clothing, rituals, rites of passage, ceremonies, music and dance. Stop and think about this for a moment. We, African people, invented marriage as a way of codifying the mating process and establishing rules of conduct to recognize, formalize and institutionalize families as part of the growth, harmonious co-existence and social organization of the tribe and clan. Our ancestors set up governments, created ethics, rules of conduct, to get along and work together co-cooperatively to mutually benefit the whole community, so the tribe's needs (physical, social, psychological and spiritual) were met. In this regard we invented openly paying homage to the CREATOR what many would call religion. We invented morality and the outgrowth of that notion in practical application to benefit the community. We rarely think about these things. Why? Because we have been taught to think others did them, not us.

It's ironic the descendants of the people who invented marriage and established the social cohesion of the extended family as the building block of civilization now think marriage is a “white thing”, something other folks do but we don't. I know there are a myriad of reasons for this misguided and maladaptive approach to living but now is not the time to delve into them. Suffice it to say we need to go back, look back at the origins of marriage, family, government and civilization so we can rebuild a way of life that insures all our people are cared for, nurtured, affirmed and supported as opposed to the ignorance, fragmentation and disunity we experience today. Africans invented thousands of musical instruments, drums and percussion instruments, flutes aerophones, harps, lyres, guitar, zithers and chordophones. They incorporated these instruments into their daily routines, their work, play and ceremonies.

The invention of the instruments was part of our spiritual nature a way to resonate outwardly with the intrinsic rhythms inside us. This is where we get our swagger, sway and soul. But in this society we don't control the distribution and marketing of our creativity. We make the music the world loves and we do all kinds of creative things, but we allow soulless, immoral heathenish corporations to highjack our creativity. They exploit it, pervert and debase it and turn it into weapons they use against us to debase us and get us off track. The good news is the old model of recording, marketing and exhibiting is dying fast and new technology is making it easier for conscious artists, film makers, videographers and gain public access and get exposure for their works. More of our artists need to apply the concept of Sankofa to their work and dedicate their efforts to uplift , encourage and empower our people.

Our adversaries are promoting the preposterous notion we live in a “post racial society”. Their disingenuousness knows no bounds. They point to the selection of Barak Obama a man of bi-racial history as their prime exhibit for the death of racism. This of course is the same type of clap trap they said after the Plessey v Ferguson Supreme Court decision. If we don't know our history we are unaware that this egregious travesty of jurisprudence established what they called “Separate but equal” status; it codified US racial and color apartheid enforced by government sanctioned violence, terrorism and intimidation. This is why the educational system discourages real Black History. This is why when they do acknowledge it, they always present a version of “Black History” that is palatable to whites. This is why their ads and media programs present information, vignettes and stories showing us in servile, subservient, dutiful and loyal roles and positions. They never show freedom fighters like Nat Turner or Boukman, they never celebrate race first Blacks like Martin R. Dalaney, Marcus Garvey or Elijah Muhammad. They don't want us to discover who we are and what we've come from. This is why they promote buffoonery, degeneracy and mindlessness in the corporate media. Their goal is to dumb us down so we replicate the caricatures and models they put before us; rather than being true to our ancestors and ourselves by actualizing our latent potential and genius.

Self-discovery is our job. It requires hard work and diligence. It is our responsibility to work at looking back, going back and discovering. This means we have to do the work ourselves. We cannot depend on others to uncover, research and promote our greatness. If they do fine and there have been some who have done that like Basil Davidson, and Wallis Budge but they are the exception. I have books about world medicine, world history and world religion in my home library that don't mention Africa or Black people at all!!? It is up to us to rectify this deliberate omission; not for Europeans per se but for us! The best way for us to build on our great legacy of Black History and accomplishment is to know it, revere it and honor it. This way it will be easier for us to continue to make progress and history. -30-