By observation, the American of African descent is a very odd mixture of tragedy and triumphs of human life, and with a persistent spirit that is able to free itself from the disorder of the world. In the Bible, the pious must find their place in a sinful world; the evil doer can only gain redemption through love. Here the sinner is a symbol of all that interferes, all that goes against our humanity, and the pious symbolize the triumph of the human spirit over the disorder in the world.
Although the “Negro” is not considered a Hebrew, and the conditions of enslavement were different, still their struggles, disappointments and setbacks are the same and thus must be recognized for what they are and preserved. The “Negro” experience is so much a part of American life, with all of the struggles in nationhood and civil wars, which goes beyond the color line and race relations, and looking at the very essence of the human spirit.
It is well worth the time to commemorate Black History, in February, by recognizing what is enduring and abiding in the Negro American, especially those human traits which they have fostered despite, and in rejection of, the barriers and mean-spiritedness imposed upon them. This month is dedicated for the social good in America, to work toward preserving in words those human values, which may last when struggling for change.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the “Negro” situation is changing ever so fast, but so much, which they have gotten through the trials and testing of Negro American life is much too good to be forgotten. The faith, the perseverance, the laughter, the ability to harmonize in rhythm, the steely sense of life and the way of sharing it which all go to shape the American Negro.
Times change, but these treasured values must endure forever—not only because they define the “Negro” as a group, but because they represent a story of man’s triumph over disorder. From the brave souls who participated in the 1908 Springfield, Ill., race riots that led to the deaths of seven people, but gave us the birth of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the fear of those civil rights protesters who faced the barking police dogs and water hoses in the turbulent South, comes the spirit which strengthened them in the same old timeless push toward equality.
The 44th president, Barack Obama, who launched his campaign for president just blocks from where the blood was spilled in Springfield, possessed the same sense of history, in that he dared not fail to adapt to the changing conditions lest he and his supporters fail.
One hundred years after the Springfield riots, the NAACP is able to celebrate its 100th anniversary, and America installs in office its first Black president.
Good and bad, all, which is of value in “Negro” life, is a truly unique American experience, and as such it should be harvested. Black History month is a celebration of life, even when it is tragic and filled with misery.
President Obama won because he and his supporters believed in the power of democracy, they each believed in the dream of the founders. Like them, and many others who wear the title as Americans, they believe in diversity, and it is possible that the end of these United States shall come when they stop believing in each other as a people.
Indeed, what was witnessed by the world in the 2008 U.S. election was a tenderly dignified unity of democratic divergences peacefully coming into life.
