Black History Month 2012

Although relegated to the files of the ancient and forgotten, Black history is world history. The achievements of Blacks have been systematically erased from most official archives therefore it is up to us as Black people to document and reassert our contributions to modern history.

Like the Native Americans Black history was an oral tradition that withered in time due to neglect and the colonization and subsequent displacement of Black peoples. Today we find that others who placed a value on the recording of their history were able to use that insight to their advantage.

If we say that our ancestors were the first to develop an electrical generator they will say, "well where is the proof?". Never mind that all our AfRAkan artifacts were raided and now sit in vaults in Europe. It is therefore incumbent upon us as Black people to not only retrieve our history out of obscurity but to also place a value on its documentation.

Post colonization the continent of AfRAka is rebounding and making incredible strides in technology, business, and agriculture. A particular emphasis is being placed on achieving higher education in medicine to combat disease and in Information Technology(IT) in order to catch up with the rest of the world.

In the West where Blacks have had to fight for inclusion into mainstream society post Slavery we also find that much has changed. We have become Presidents, billionaires, influential sports icons and normal contributes to society. Society at large has also accepted the fact that Blacks wish to identify and assert their cultural identities.

Today we are documenting our own history so that it will never be lost again. At the same time our influences to mainstream society is being recognized by important appointments to higher posts in Law and Politics. This year in Canada the post office has issued two stamps to commemorate Black History Month. The two stamps high-lite the memory of two very influential Black Canadians. They are John Ware and Viola Desmond.

John Ware was a former American slave who became a pioneer of Alberta's ranching industry. It is believed that he was born in Texas around 1845 and settled in Calgary Alberta in the early 1880s after being hired to drive a heard of cattle to a ranch near by. He became renouned in the area for his hard work and skill in cattle farming. He was so respected by his fellow white ranchers that upon his death in 1905 his funeral drew the largest crowd in his honor.

“Skilled with the lariat, he pioneered steer-wrestling and won his first competition at the Calgary Summer Fair of 1893, setting a precedent for what would become a highlight of the Calgary Stampede,” said Canada Post on its website.

Viola Desmond was a Nova Scotia entrepreneur and civil rights champion who was arrested in 1945 (a full 10 years before the Rosa Parks incident that sparked the US civil rights rebellion) for deliberately sitting in the whites only section of a movie theater. She was then dragged from the theater and thrown in jail where she spent the night.

The following day she was tried without counsel, convicted and fined $20 for defrauding the province of the additional one cent tax for seats in the whites only section of the theater. Despite a lengthy legal battle, Desmond's conviction was never overturned. However, in 2011 the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia granted Desmond a posthumous pardon and the government of Nova Scotia formally apologized.

For these and all previous Black History Month stamp issuances, we thank Canada Post and the Black History Society of Canada. Such acts though insignificant to the general public ensure that the contributions of Black people and the struggles that we continue to endure in our quest for equality are not so easily washed over. For Black people they provide examples to our youth so that they will understand their self worth.

I am certain that there are numerous other important historical accounts of the Black experience that are important to our history and need to be recognized. With care and due diligence they will be brought to the fore.