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Black History Month; The Subject that Segregates

copyright © 2009 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org The history of Black Americans is a glorious one.  It is a chronicle filled with much triumph, as well as many trials and tribulations.  Yet, many debate whether a month that commemorates people, pitch in color, defies reason.  Do the days dedicated to the acknowledgement of African American achievements divide us as a nation?  The answer, some say is a complex one.  Consider the thoughts of Columnist, Clarence Page of The Chicago Tribune.  Is Black History Month already history?  Well, it depends.  Another view comes from a fellow Journalist and contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cynthia Tucker.  She is more emphatic in her evaluation.  Ms Tucker writes; Month robs blacks of part in U.S. history,  It seems the subject, Black History Month, segregates opinions.

Are African-Americans Black Enough or Anglo Americans Too White?

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

This year, perhaps more than any time in the past, Americans are reminded of race relations each and every day. On televisions, on the radio, airwaves are filled with talk of the current Presidential campaign. For the first time in this nation's history, a viable Presidential hopeful is not a white. Barack Obama is a Black man; he is profound and has purpose. Early on, Anglo Americans, and even some people of color, wondered if Obama authentically represented African-Americans. Countless inquired of Obama's experience, not in Congress, but in the ghettos of this country. The prominent periodical, Time Magazine, published a cover story titled, "Is Obama Black Enough? As Sociologists assess, there is reason to believe another question is apt, "Are Caucasians white enough, or are they too white to understand the Black experience?"

Race Relations in America; Colormute, Not Colorblind

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

It's never been my interest to run a race-based campaign. My message has always been that I want everyone included in a broad coalition to bring about change. I want to spend more time talking about solving the problems that people are feeling right now. ~ Barack Obama [United States Senator and Presidential Aspirant. January 27, 2008]

In any Presidential election year, we hear of the race. Yet, discussions of "race" are void, or are since a truce was tendered. Americas would like to think of themselves as colorblind. We are not. Citizens of this country embrace “colormuteness, a term coined by Mica Pollock, Associate Professor of Education at Harvard University. What Professor Pollock observes in classrooms and in the hallways of schools throughout the nation occurs each day on the campaign trail. Children who wish to achieve excellence in the classroom are restricted by conventions they learned at an early age in our nation's communities.

A Climate of Fear Permeates; Morton High School Students Protest

Climate of Fear

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

"The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live and fear breeds repression. Too often, sinister threats to the Bill of Rights, to freedom of the mind are concealed under the patriotic cloak of anti-Communism [terrorism, nationalism, or compassionate Conservatism.] It's far easier to fight for principles than to live up to them." ~ Adlai Stevenson. 1952 [Governor of Illinois, Democratic presidential candidate]

It was a quiet day in America; yet, the feeling of fear was palpable. Oceans away, in Baghdad, the air was filled with the smell of napalm. Frightened, as the young contemplated their future, seventy some courageous and committed students filed into the Morton West High School cafeteria in Berwyn, Illinois. Trepidation for their lives, and the lives of friends, family, and those innocent Iraqi citizens they never met prompted these pupils to take action. The young and eligible enlistees protested the war in Iraq.

Little Rock Nine Commemorated; Separate and Unequal Survives

Little Rock 9 - 50th Anniversary

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

It has been fifty years since America sought to integrate its schools. It was September 25, 1957. The Little Rock Nine, a group of young Black pupils, crossed the threshold into history. Three years earlier, the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled educational institutions could no longer remain separate and unequal. Unity in our schools was sanctioned in 1954. Brown versus Board of Education was the catalyst for change. However, even after the judgment was handed down, in actuality, few Districts altered enrollment. Assimilation was slow and frequently forced.

Jena Six. Justice: Permission Granted. Judgment: Permission Denied

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Please listen to the audio presentation. Interviews Tell Tales. Jena Six: Black Students Charged w/Attempted Murder

I am thankful, not for the strife, the situation, or the state of affairs in Jena, Louisiana. I am grateful for the discussion, the focus on what for too long remains beneath the surface. For weeks, race relations, a topic conveniently hidden, is in the news again. I think this inconvenient truth must be made visible if we are to move beyond the bigotry that is America's signature.

August 26, 1920; Women's Suffrage Day. Election Day; Women Exercise Right

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

August 26, 1920 is a date that lives large in history. Those of the female persuasion may be more familiar with the day; however, few mark it on their calendars. They may instead honor the occasion on the first Tuesday in November, or on another Tuesday in the Spring of the year. On August 26, 1920, women received the right to vote. Since that date the weight of womanly wisdom is exercised on election days throughout the years.

School Diversity Segregates Some. Divided Neighborhoods Isolate All

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Today, I was reminded of how deeply divided this nation is. I read School Diversity Based on Income Segregates Some. I discovered in an attempt to offer equal opportunities, indeed, schools discovered discrimination remained a dominant force. School Boards, Administrators, and the community-at-large concluded educational institutions would be more diverse if learners were assigned to schools based on family incomes. A plan was introduced and implemented. The outcome was mixed; however, the pupil populations were less so. Some races, colors, and creeds were abundant within a given institution; others were not well represented.

Media Implies "Cameras are Cool." Liberties Are Lost

Michael Moore v. Wolf Blitzer (7/9/07)

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

Michael Moore is not the topic of this treatise. "Sicko" is not the source of my pain. While I long for Universal Health Care in America, in this missive I am discussing as Mister Moore does in the above interview, the media. The manipulation, or the "objectivity" within a message concerns me.

The mainstream media delivers a message and often the public accepts what they see or hear as truth. I believe an open mind questions all information. However, people easily trust what seems credible. Discerning the nuances can be challenging. We have faith. Those with resources will do the research. However, that is not always so. Granted those on the Right have long claimed journalists are liberal Left leaning masters of the message. In my estimation, the press is not necessarily Left or "right"; nor do they deliver with mastery. While I might offer this story or that, I will refer to only one recent report. Cameras lessen the likelihood of crime, or do they.

Supreme Court Rules; Brown Versus Board of Education Reversed

Affirmative Action: Separate But Equal

copyright © 2007 Betsy L. Angert. BeThink.org

It is official Brown versus Board of Education has been reversed. Providing equal education opportunities to all children, regardless of race, color, or creed is no longer a priority. The 1954 Court decision that invalidated the principle of “separate but equal” was overturned on June 28, 2007. This day will live in infamy. In another of the many recent 5 to 4 split decisions, the neoconservative Supreme Court canceled the promise made to students of color.