If Black History is not moving Black people forward into a better future, then what is the point? Jewish people look at their history and what they went through in Germany under Hitler, and they have used that history to say as a people Never Again.
Jewish people continue to share their history with the world, and the real history of Black people seem to be focused on slavery and the civil rights movement. Black history must educate Black people on the mentality and the thinking of those white Anglo-Saxton Protestants who are the German equivalent in Black History.
In part one, the original white Anglo-Saxton Protestant was brought to light. But now, some new non-white immigrants must be made aware of.
Black History Must Be A Teaching Moment
Black History must teach that these new immigrants starting with the Irish and the southern-eastern Europeans that came to the new land from the 1850s through the 1870s, were neither WASP nor people of color. Many of these new immigrants came from nations that WASP considered inferior, and many were people without states.
In the countries or empires that they came from, they were oppressed minorities. The Irish immigrants came from lands controlled by England, or they were Irish Jews from Eastern Europe.
When these immigrants came to the new land, their assimilation consisted of joining the WASP society in social and cultural terms. It was clear that their skin color was essential for them to be successfully and fully assimilated into the WASP society. The Native Americans termed it best — they called them all “pale face.”
Upon the arrival of Latino immigrants to the United States, they were also assimilated differently into the racial WASP hierarchy. Some Latinos were of dark and light skin hue. Those of lighter hue (Mexicans) were accepted and crossed the line into whiteness. The darker skin Latinos (like Puerto Ricans) became people of color.
Black History teaches that the dominating mindset of those WASP affected every nation and people that came to America in search of freedom, justice, and equality. In reality, what they found was division. They did not know that they had to be of a light, bright damn near white hue to receive this freedom, justice, and equality.
So in review, light-skinned immigrants that accept the WASP social mindset are assimilated into the white society, and they begin to experience upward mobility. Those of a darker hue are not accepted into the white society but are placed into the people of color group and experience downward mobility.
Why Black History?
To Black History lovers, it should be obvious that the Black History given every year has not been put in place to make Black people better and share safe historical information that will continue to keep Blacks in a state of unconsciousness. Not knowing the truth about Black History keeps Blacks asleep and under control.
So the Black History solution to this never-ending challenge is knowledge and understanding. “With all thy getting, get an understanding.” When one can understand the answer to the most sought-after question, “why,” then understanding is revealed.
Opinion by Omari Jahi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
AlterNet: Assimilation is a Double-Edged Sword for Immigrants; by Aviva Chomsky
Stanford: What history tells us about the assimilation of immigrants
Mediaite: Pat Buchanan Tells Laura Ingraham ‘African-Americans’ Have Not ‘Fully Assimilated;’ by Caleb Ecarma
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Aaron Mervin’s Pixabay’s Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of Art Poskanzer’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image by Luigi Novi Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Third Inset Image by Michael Rivera Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
