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Coretta's Legacy

Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won--you earn it and win it in every generation.”—Coretta Scott King

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An off-color remark

No one was more surprised than “60 Minutes” host Mike Wallace when the man he was interviewing, Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, said that Black History Month was “ridiculous. I don’t want a Black History Month,” said the 68-year-old Freeman in the December 18th TV segment, “Black history is American history”. Read more >

Coretta's Legacy (continued)

Diversity Matters would like to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King, who died at age 78, January 30, 2006, just weeks after our nation celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It was she who battled for years to make that holiday into a national observance. Indeed, Coretta Scott King dedicated her life to maintaining the social momentum her husband achieved for peace, racial justice and fairness, making public appearances and lecturing on Dr. King’s teachings. She will be missed but her values and determination will live on.

For more on the legacy of Coretta Scott King, please visit DiversityInc.com

Black History Month

On the eve of commemorating the cultural, intellectual and historical contributions of African Americans, there are voices, such as that of celebrated black actor Morgan Freeman, suggesting that Black History Month be retired as a holiday and that its subject matter be included under the overall rubric of American History. There are those, however, who make the case for the opposite view, including Dr. Jennifer James, whom we interview below.

What would Carter G. Woodson say? Woodson, an academic and black historian, conceived the celebration 80 years ago to document and preserve the achievements of African Americans in an era rank with racism. Join us for a spirited discussion on how Americans contextualize “black history”.

An off-color remark (continued)

Wallace then asked how as a society we would rid ourselves of racism without it. Freeman’s answer was a little too pat: “I am going to stop calling you a white man and I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a black man.”

Freeman seemed to suggest that race would be irrelevant if only we’d stop talking about it. His comments beg the question of whether the United States is sufficiently free of discrimination that it records for posterity the acts and achievements of all Americans equally.

Dr. Jennifer James, cultural anthropologist and author of “Thinking in the Future Tense”, says having a calendar marker for black history is as yet necessary. “I do think there will come a time when we no longer need an alert like Black History Month, but we are not there yet,” says James.

As Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page put it: “The bad old days of separatism tried to erase black folks from American history. Black History Month puts us back in.”

James agrees. While she believes that our increasingly mixed gene pool will eventually make many of our semi-racial categories irrelevant, James contends “the history part,” of Black History Month, “is what is important until we reduce racism a bit more.”

So what motivates the ideology of ridding America of a holiday that celebrates black history? For James, there are too many reasons to enumerate, but one would be “denial there was ever a problem by ceasing to call attention to it; pretending everything is equal now.” James also cites the common belief that it is unpatriotic to say anything negative about American history and that “negative is inherent in Black History Month even if you only feature black heroes.”

And, too, there is the invariable resentment of having to pay attention to a group other than your own—as James says, “Why talk about Black history if you are not talking for a month about Chinese-American history?”

All these arguments fail when one considers the unfortunate truth that the racism Woodson fought eight decades ago is still around, if less so. This extends to the corporate sphere where we continue to see mixed results in the effort to diversify our workforces.

James says she sees improvement “at the lower- to mid-levels of management, especially for women and mixed genetics (Tiger Woods) individuals.” James also notes that younger generations among us—with a few pockets of resistance, “are very open-minded." Young adults, she adds, understand the international nature of markets, labor and gene pools.

Conversely, says James, at the top of our businesses and government, progress is “painfully slow.” Nevertheless, she concludes the old, homogenous power structures are doomed to fail. “The worldwide pattern of inclusion,” says James “is much more powerful than tribalism or exclusion. We will lift off this plateau within 10 years,” she concludes. “Globalization will force it.”

Spotlight on National Museum of African Art,

Smithsonian Institution

Searching for a place where all things ancient and contemporary about African art are house under one roof, for your perusal and enjoyment?

Look no further than the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., which is devoted to the collection, study and exhibition of African art. The museum features objects ranging from ceramics, textiles furniture and tools to masks, figures and musical instruments. As the NMAFA website says, this collection strives to “address the important issues of identity, history and aesthetics, demonstrate dynamism and reflect change as African artists respond to new ideas, materials and sources of inspiration.”

The Smithsonian Institution will also open its National Museum of African-American History and Culture on the Mall near the Washington Monument. Plans were just approved for building on that five-acre site.

"Over the last several years,” says Annette Merritt Cummings, vice president, Diversity Services, Bernard Hodes Group, “ a number of new museums have opened around the United States. They are dedicated to educating the public and provide a full picture of the contributions of all Americans. Without a full understanding and appreciation of history,” adds Cummings, “we cannot fully embrace the future of our new multicultural society.”