Wiki History‪!‬ Robin Lofton

Heroes of the Great War

Does the end of Black history month mean the end of learning Black history? Do we still need Black history month? How can we continue to learn Black history AFTER Black history month has ended? Doug and Robin (siblings and historians) discuss these questions over a cup of espresso.

Why love history? Does history matter?
 
Welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.
 
Hi, I’m Robin the host and one of many history lovers at this great and groundbreaking podcast show.  Right now, you are at an exciting place to remember African American history, a peaceful place to reflect on the African American experience and a bold place to keep MAKING history every single day.
 
 
I’m so glad that you’re here so we can share in this journey together. History should be a shared experience. So, let’s get started.
 
Hello, habari gani, nangadef! As promised, I will explain these greeting a bit later in the show.
 
 
People often ask me why I love history. They say “it’s so boring!” “it’s pointless” and my personal point of debate: “it’s all lies anyway.”
 
Hmmm…I would love to say that none of those comments are true.  But let me just say that they’re not completely wrong either.  Or at least they don’t have to be.
 
In elementary and high school, I actually hated history.  Yes, it’s true that I was not always the history lover that I am today.  But, when I was younger I found history to be boring and I definitely didn’t get the point of learning about dead people and past events.
 
Then I discovered something: History isn’t about past events and dead people. It’s about events and people. As one of my favorite historians put it, “History is not about the past. No one ever lived in the past. They lived in the present. The difference is that it was THEIR present. Not ours. They were caught up in the living moment exactly as we are today. And with no more certainty of how things will turn out we have.”
 
History does talk about past events—but all (or the vast majority) of those events were people driven. They didn’t happen in isolation. People made them happen.  And those people are just like us today: Making events happen today.
 
So, why do people think that history is boring, pointless, or untrue? It’s mostly in the presentation. History is usually taught as a series or names, dates and death counts. That’s a pity because history is so much more. It is a story, it’s our story. 
 
That’s why I love history; I have always been captivated by a good mystery, moved by a tender love story, excited by a dramatic adventure story or inspired by a story of victory or triumph.
 
Judging by the number of people at the movies or people browsing bookstores, I’m not the only one who loves a good story.
 
So ANYONE with a reasonable amount of curiosity or interest in people can love history. There is no end to the amazing stories. And history being made today and every day.
 
About history being a bunch of lies…well people can take a bit of “creative license” when retelling a story. But they can and do cross the line. There are definitely untruths in history and that is especially relevant for people of color. African American history has been retold in ways that, at best, diminish our contributions and, at worse, eliminate not only our contributions but also our very presence and significance in those stories. And that’s the very reason why we should learn history—so we can tell the truth. That’s the very purpose of rememberinghistory.com—to tell the truth of African American history, including the contributions, the victories, the defeats, the challenges, the struggles—whole range of the human experience.
 
On that note, let’s get started with the history or…the stories.
 
Let’s start with a few birthdays.
 
 
 
May 9 is the shared birthday of two history makers—white men, actually—who played an important role in African American history.  We will talk about one today and the other will be a surprise for next week’s show. You might think it strange to open today’s show by honoring a white person.  This is a show about African Americ

This is Robin Lofton and I want to welcome you to rememberinghistory.com where are remembering history and we’re making it. Hello, habari gani, nangadef! I’ll explain that one a bit later. Right now, you are at a safe place to remember African American history, a quiet place to reflect on the African American experience and a powerful place to make history every single day.
 
I’m so glad that you’re here so we can share in this journey together. History should be a shared experience. So, let’s get started.
 
This is the month that we, at rememberinghistory.com, remember and acknowledge the activists who are working for a better world, we reflect on the importance of activism in the African American community and we resolve to keep up the work of the activists—past and present—to make changes in our communities, our country and yes even our world.
 
In April, we remembered the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (one of the world’s foremost activists) who, sadly, was assassinated on April 4, 1968. This year, 2018, marks the 50thanniversary of his death. His legacy definitely endures. However, the goals and visions that he had for a better world have definitely NOT been realized.  Poverty, injustice, economic, political and social inequality, violence, group supremacy. They are still a part of the American experience—the global experience, in fact—so we still have LOTS of work to do. And I’m so impressed with the constant, fearless of work of activists that are working and fighting to make a better world.
 
Music
 
Do you like movies?
 
I don’t really care for movies. But there are exceptions. I’ve noticed that there are more movies about history and cultural experiences.  And I really enjoy those kinds of movies. I’ve noticed, in particular, that there are more movies about African American history (or American history, actually) like Marshall, Loving, Twelve Years a Slave (based on the amazing book), Hidden Figures (again, based on the amazing book) and lots of others.  They always make me think a lot—then I start doing research. And I learn so much.
 I was asked to make a presentation about the movie, Selma. Remember that movie about the Bloody Sunday march—it happened on March 7, 1965, on the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama. (Yeah, that name should be changed; he was a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.) My presentation was simply to introduce the movie then we would watch the film and the audience would have a discussion about the importance of the march itself and voting rights in America.
 
To prepare for this presentation, I watched Selma. I had already seen the movie but I watched it again just to be more familiar with it. I had forgotten what a powerful movie that it was so I was kinda seeing it again for the first time.  Several things struck me about the movie.
 
First, the importance of the activists in the film. Yes, there was Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, John Lewis and SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee).  Yes, they were important and powerful.
 
But I was also impressed with people who showed up for the march for voting rights, the people who went to register to vote in Alabama like Annie Lee Cooper but was turned away by the registrar. By the way, Oprah Winfrey plays this role stunningly in the opening scene of the movie. I remember hearing so many people gasp when the registrar demanded that she name all of the judges in Alabama!  There was Jimmy Lee Jackson, a 26-year old woodcutter, army veteran and father.  Yes, he was a Black man. He had repeatedly tried to register to vote for many years and had been repeatedly denied.  In the movie and in real life, he (along with his mother and grandfather) participated in a night march to protest the arrest of another activist—James Orange—who was being held in the county jail. During that night march, the local police attacked the m

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.
 
Habari gani,
 
I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com and I’m so glad that you’ve come back for this great and groundbreaking show. We’ve been doing something a bit different from our usual podcast show when we talk about different issues affecting the African American community, and discuss the great contributions of African Americans to their communities, the country and world. Today we are celebrating the last and final day of Kwanzaa. Wow, what an experience but it’s coming to an end. And we will focus on an issue that is deeply rooted in African and African American culture: faith (or as we say in Swahili: Imani).
 
I’ll begin—as usual--by bidding you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very glad to have you with us and I would strongly urge you to listen to the 7 previous podcasts that introduce Kwanzaa and explain each of the days of Kwanzaa.
 
We learned yesterday that Kuumba or creativity is linked to finding and living your purpose (called Nia). They are both founded on knowing your historical and cultural identity. Your creativity is YOUR unique way of making the world into a better place; a place that is more beautiful, more beneficial and more productive than when you were born. If you have any questions, please contact us at rememberinghistory.com website or the Wiki History Podcast page on Facebook. Stay with us today—everyone is welcome around the Kwanzaa mat (the mkeka)—but please take time to listen to the previous shows.
 
Let’s prepare ourselves to begin to Kwanzaa celebration for the seventh and final day. Take a deep cleansing breath before the celebration begins or find another way to quiet and focus your thoughts and energy. Perhaps you want to stand and do a few stretching movements. Just take a moment to get centered and ready to begin the celebration. Remember Kwanzaa IS a celebration but please also show respect for this solemn ritual.
 
Day 7: Imani (faith)
 
Habari gani! Your response: Imani!
 
One more time: Habari gani! Imani!
 
Now please give me the Swahili greeting. (pause) Imani!
 
The 7th day of Kwanzaa falls on January 1st. That’s right on New Year’s Day.
 
The last day of Kwanzaa...the first day of the New Year...has been a time of serious appraisal for African people. Also known as the "Day of Meditation" or "Day of Assessment," it is a period of self-reflection related to things done and things yet to be done. Following in this tradition, it is a time to ask yourself AGAIN the following three questions that we started with on Day 1: "Who am I?" - "Am I really who I say I am" - "Am I all I ought to be?" In addition, this is also a day when many Kwanzaa participants choose to pay particular homage to the ancestors...those of the community as well as those of the family.
 
This seventh day of Kwanzaa is Imani! Again, it means faith. What does faith mean in the context of Kwanzaa?
 
Dr. Karenga thought of Imani as believing in ourselves, our people, our parents and teachers, our leaders and the righteousnessness and victory of our struggle. It also stresses the importance of our vision for a better community and for a better world.
 
In the context of African spirituality, faith begins with a belief in the Creator (God) and in the positivity of the creation. Recognizing that all African spiritual traditions believe that we are formed in the image of the Creator, we are capable of self-mastery and development in the context of positive support, the ability to self-correct, care for and be responsible for each other. This allows us to also believe in our ability to create a just and good society. Faith in ourselves is essential.
 
 
 
We must also believe in the value and validity of our struggle fo

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.
 
Habari gani,
 
I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com and I’m so glad that you’ve come back for this great and groundbreaking show. We’ve been doing something a bit different from our usual podcast show when we talk about different issues affecting the African American community, and discuss the great contributions of African Americans to their communities, the country and world. Today is a very special day because we are continuing with our celebration of Kwanzaa! We are already on day six of this uplifting and inspirational celebration. Today we will focus on the concept of Kuumba, which means creativity.
 
I’ll begin—as usual--by bidding you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very glad to have you with us and I would strongly urge you to listen to the 6 previous podcasts shows.
 
We learned yesterday that Nia or finding and living your purpose is founded on knowing your historical and cultural identity. And that your purpose should be a goal that contributes something great to your community or the world. It must be something larger than yourself and larger than the pursuit of money. I think of it as a “magnificent obsession.” If you haven’t heard the previous Kwanzaa podcasts, I strongly recommend that you do so. If you have any questions, please contact us at rememberinghistory.com website or the Wiki History Podcast page on Facebook. Stay with us today—everyone is welcome around the Kwanzaa mat (the mkeka)—but please take time to listen to the previous shows.
 
Let’s prepare ourselves to begin to Kwanzaa celebration for the sixth day. Sometimes I take a deep cleansing breath before the celebration begins to quiet and focus myself. Perhaps you want to stand and do a few stretching movements. Just take a moment to get centered and ready to begin the celebration. Remember Kwanzaa IS a celebration but please also show respect for this solemn ritual.
 
Day 6: Kuumba (creativity)
 
Habari gani! Your response: Kuumba!
 
Let’s do it again: Habari gani! Kuumba!
 
Now please give me the Swahili greeting. (pause) Kuumba!
 
The 6th day of Kwanzaa falls on December 31st and it is an extra special day! As it is New Year’s Eve, the day is an especially festive day because it marks the last day of the calendar year.
 
On this special final day of the year, the home is specially decorated with traditional Kwanzaa colors of black, red and green. Special dishes are made for the family and guests. On December 31, families and communities hold a karamu which is a special feast, including readings, remembrances and a festive meal. The karamu feast may consist of traditional African dishes, as well as those featuring ingredients that Africans brought to the United States...sesame seeds, peanuts, sweet potatoes, collard greens and spicy sauces, for example. This celebration may be held at a home, church or community center.
 
The sixth day of Kwanzaa is Kuumba! Again, it means creativity. Everyone has a different vision of creativity so let’s ask what does creativity mean in the context of Kwanzaa?
 
Dr. Karenga thought of Kuumba as always doing as much as we can in the way that we can in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than when we inherited it.
 
Kuumba follows logically from the principle of Nia. (Nia means purpose which we discussed it yesterday). Kuumba is the commitment to expressing your creativity within the context of your purpose (your magnificent obsession). It is the commitment to leave the community and your world in a better position than when you came into them.
 
This principle was deeply rooted in ancient Egyptian culture. Creativity was considered both an original act of the Creator (or God) and a restor