Black History Month - What do you think?

Established in 1976, Black History Month is recognized in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, among other nations. It is intended to celebrate the contributions blacks in the societies in which they live. In our case, it is the role that African-Americans have played – and continue to play – in American history and life.

There are always the obvious famous African-Americans to focus on during this time: Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and others. I have chosen to focus this year on the contributions of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. I hope you enjoyed the film that we watched in class, and I hope it made you think beyond the “obvious” African-Americans that we usually focus on during celebrations like this.

Use your comments here to express your ideas about the importance of Black History Month. Is it necessary to have a month dedicated to the contributions of black Americans? What about other months like this – Hispanic Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, and other such celebrations? Who are some of the African-Americans that you think best represent the meaning of this month?

I want to hear what you think and feel. If you disagree with what someone writes, you should comment on it but you MUST remain respectful. I will not tolerate any personal attacks, rude, or inappropriate comments. Most importantly – HAVE FUN!!

Here are some links that may help you think through this topic:
History Channel – http://www.history.com/minisites/blackhistory/
The Official Website of Jackie Robinson - http://www.jackierobinson.com/
Or search Google

MLK Today

On Friday, we spent nearly the entire class time discussing the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It has been 40 years since the death of Dr. King, and about 45 years since spoke to the nation about his dream. So, in 2008 can we say that Dr. King's dream has become a reality? What evidence do we have today that his dream has come true? Or, do we have further to go to reach that dream? If you don't feel his dream has come true yet, what do you think still needs to be done? Can we do anything to help the relationship between blacks and whites improve?

Remember, I want to know what you think and feel. I'm not looking for memorized answers or for you to tell me what you learned from the video. I am providing links to both of the speeches that we discussed and to the video that we watched. I encourage you to watch and listen. In fact, encourage your parents and siblings to watch and listen with you. It's important to always reflect on holidays that celebrate those that have sacrificed their lives to make our world a better place.

"I Have a Dream" speech: http://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

"I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech: http://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm

The entire video from class: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/search/assetDetail.cfm?guidAssetID=9296ED9A-CF46-42F1-BBC3-EFABFB353D0C Remember, you'll need a password for this.

 

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