If you get a chance, get the documentary - THE LESSONS OF HAYTI. You may have to purchase it off itunes, thelessonsofhayti, or amazon. Google it. I have not seen it on youtube or a free site - only the promotionals. The actual documentary is over an hour long, but worth every minute. This documentary was completed this year. I mentioned it earlier in the year, as I am one of the featured interviewees. I did not actually see it until recently. I finally connected with the producers and was sent a video. I am not asking you to see it because I am in it. My interview comes almost 45 minutes after the information-packed film starts. There are other experts and witnesses who provide powerful insight. I say watch it because, the documentary touches on so many facts regarding Black progress in America (in areas of land and business ownership, education, becoming elected officials, becoming founders of colleges and banks, etc.) within the first 100 years following Emancipation Proclamation. The documentary is winning several best documentary awards and rightfully so. This is an educational instrument which should become required-viewing by all races and nationalities. Have your notebook and pen handy as you will want to take notes. It teaches us why we must never stop pushing the justice plow. It instills pride when seeing the faces of former slaves dressed as successful businessmen and elected officials. The documentary plays a role in shattering the glass of bias, misconceptions, miseducation, and predjudicies Americans are taught about Black people. For example, it is unbelievable to see how African Americans were becoming so successful not so long after Emancipation Proclamation despite receiving no reparations and despite having their education, economics, self-worth, culture, hopes and dreams suppressed for so many years. They went straight to work to rebuild their families while creating over 100 totally self-sufficient Black communities. They were brilliantly demonstrating they were capable of pulling themselves up despite being left without the boots or the straps. They were obviously not looking for a handout or free stuff. In fact, to the contrary, former slaves were not eligible to receive White only entitlements or benefits from G.I. Bills, housing, and other federal assistance programs during that time which are now negatively labled as welfare. During that time federal assistance was viewed as a good thing although former Black slaves, Native Americans, and others who needed it most were denied eligibility. Through the evils of racism, domestic terrorism, unjust laws, and plain jealousy - certain angry White men plotted to destroy successful Black-owned communities through every means imaginable. They would often use an unproven allegation between a Black man and White woman as a pretext for killing, destroying, and stealing Black property/success. For example, the successful Greenwood community - the original Black Wall St. in Tulsa, OK, where several blocks of Black-owned business and middle class homes had powerfully accumulated, were violently wiped off the map as many of these business leaders and homeowners were killed during the early 1920s by angry mobs. To add insult to injury, those who survived and refused to flee from the intimidation and mass destruction, were faced with new laws which denied their option to rebuild on the land they owned prior to the destruction. Similar horrors happened toward successful Black business and residential communities across the nation, such as the Rosewood community in FL. In North Carolina, we hold the record for having the only coup d’état (the violent overthrow of elected officials) to take place whereby African Americans and progressive White Republicans were violently run out of office in Wilmington in 1898 by angry White Democrats, as over 100 African Americans were murdered, multiple Black-owned businesses and countless Black-owned properties/homes were destroyed as over 2,000 Blacks were violently run out of the town - changing it from a majority Black to a majority White city population. Other thriving Black communities were more strategically disrupted/eliminated with the mapping of major highways (Urban Renewal) as the building of certain public housing facilities were supposedly part of the tradeoff. This is how Durhams successful Hayti community was eliminated. The Hayti community had over 120 Black-owned which included 2 hotels and 2 business colleges and strived between the late 1800s to the late 1940s. Such truths must be told to factually explain how the recycling of lies/media propaganda, hatred, destruction, oppressive decrees have been systemically used time and time again (not just during slavery) to undermine and reverse Black success in America since the plantations. These devastating acts are rarely mentioned despite the major role they played in maintaining racial gaps in wealth, education, health, confidence, and the need to pass on land and other essentials for success for their childrens children. I believe also if we paid more attention to such ugly truths, we would not continuously turn a blind eye to FOX News and other mainstream race-baiters who use divisive lies to help pour gasoline on remaining sparks of racism while simultaneously politicians relax gun laws and gun sales go through the roof. Black oppression never ended and have become more intense any time a major sign of Black progress emerges. For example, Black progress which occurred the first 100 years following slavery was met with domestic terrorism and Jim Crow (Plessy v. Furgeson of 1896). Nearly 5,000 reported lynchings - often followed up with landtakings, took place between 1882 and 1960. Consequently, African Americans are repetitiously forced to fight the same fights (civil/human rights, voting rights, education equality/access, fair working conditions, economic sustainability, equal protection under the law, etc.). The prophets must therefore keep the light of hope, faith, love, and truth coming forward! Anytime lost truths can be told, we must have ears (regardless of color) that will listen; eyes (whether brown or blue) that will see; hearts that will receive; and bodies (Red, Black, White, Yellow, Brown) that will ACT!
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:17:10 +0000
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