Category Archives: African-American History

THE CASE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE STUDIES

This is a Manhood, Race, and Culture Interactive (MRCi) discussion. The panelists are discussing if there is a need for African-American Male Studies and the plight of Black men.

MRCi discussions occur every Thursday @ 7:30 (EST) – 6:30 (CST). Click on the link below to join our intellectual community.

Join us as we discuss pressing matters facing and impacting Black Men and Black America.

Just in case you can not get the link to work, use the information to join the Zoom session.

Meeting ID: 353 334 8869
Passcode: 1YF4BG

Thoughts on White America’s Reaction to Vanessa Williams’ Singing of the Negro National Anthem aka How Embarrassing Things Can Be When A People Are Ignorant Regarding History

In a nation where the vast majority of citizens are borderline historically illiterate, most Americans know the following historical phrase.

If you don’t like it here, go back to (fill in the blank).

Depending on what was occurring in this nation, there are several countries that would be correct answers if placed in the above “fill in the blank” spot.

Let’s be honest about this matter, it is White people who are the conveyors of such abrasive talk. I have heard many Blacks ask “Where did these people come from?” I laugh at such a question because if you search any map, you will never find White land. I like to ask people who insist that White is an actual identity the following questions.

If the Irish are from Ireland and the French are from France and the Germans are from Germany and Brazilians are from Brazil, wherein the hell are White people from?

My point is that Whiteness is a social construction that serves as a rallying point for a diverse population of Europeans that allows them unfettered access to political power and economic might; not to mention the ability to craft laws to serve their interests. There is strength in numbers after all.

The fact that the above is rarely discussed in the public arena does not make it any less true. In the moments following World War I, new immigrant groups like the Irish, Polish, and German were forced by more powerful Whites to suppress their ethnic identity in favor of a largely undefined White identity that provided them a path to political power. It is ironic that there is no better display that today’s Whites have become the tyrannical monsters they often rail against than on Independence Day.

This year’s annual display of White America’s demand that all citizens conform to their value system and priorities or “Go back to Africa” are the public attacks on former Miss America Vanessa Williams; yes, these White folks are attacking the first Black woman to represent them by winning their pageant. Williams’ performance of James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” a song commonly considered the Negro National Anthem at PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” has offended a legion of freedom-loving White patriots. What follows is a sampling of White American Patriots’ reaction to Williams’s performance of the Negro National Anthem.

  • We have one national anthem (Steve Cortes – Newsmax)
  • Vanessa honey, a BLACK national anthem is something a Black African Country would have, not a country like America that exists for everyone. (Lavern Spicer – Fl. Politician)
  • Separate, but equal. MLK would be proud. (RR Cooper)
  • There is only one national anthem. This is segregationism pure and simple. Shame on @JoeBiden if he doesn’t demand an end to this racist activity. (US Col. Rob Maness)
  • Is it possible to have a “Black National Anthem” and still expect to have unity?
  • I 100% refuse to recognize the black national anthem. We are one nation, under God and indivisible. There are no separate national anthems.

There is a popular saying that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This axiom was at work when the British had their boot on the neck of what would eventually become the first Americans. Today, the descendants of the aforementioned colonists, joined by the descendants of new immigrants who fled or were ejected from their European homeland become a totalitarian force that demands all others conform to their worldview. This brazen display of non-acceptance of the Negro National Anthem in the midst of a national celebration of freedom drips with irony. If nothing else, this should serve as definitive proof of why it is so crucial for racial matters to be taught in this nation. There is obviously an entire White population, children, and adults, who have lived entire lives ignorant to diverse perspectives.

I, along with droves of other historically literate Blacks, tired long ago of the uphill battle of teaching Whites about the cavernous errors in their thought patterns and ways. We have little sympathy for those who do not recognize that their political viewpoints and questionable reading of history have made them authoritarian figures that demand all others adopt their priorities or leave. The pervasive ignorance engulfing so many Whites at the present moment prevents them from realizing that they are seeking to expel Blacks who have done more to build this nation than any of their ancestors.

So, it is with great privilege that I address my fellow countrymen with the following statement.

If you do not like the singing of the Negro National Anthem or the rich cultural diversity that non-White groups bring to this nation, you could always go back to whatever part of Europe that your ancestors hail from; that is, if they would have you. After all, I am sure that the leaders of your homeland had good reason for expelling your ancestors in the first place.

Lift every voice and sing…

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2021.

 

My Bout With The Weary Blues: The Silencing of my Pen in this Space

Nearly thirty years as an educator has taught me how crucial it is to maintain one’s sanity. I am sure that every Black person understands the legion of stressors that go along with such an identity. As a Black man who teaches Black collegians, a form of “race work”, I must tell you that there are additional stressors that may not be apparent to outsiders. Maintaining one’s sanity can prove to be a most delicate matter.

Anyone who knows me or has even read my writings can tell that I have significant love for my students. The love that I speak of is so impactful that I honestly would not want to teach anywhere other than at a Historically Black College. In the words of John Coltrane, there is a Love Supreme between my students and me. Unbeknownst to many, my engagement with my students comes at an extreme cost.

On the one hand, my connection to the future leaders of Black America is uplifting as it allows me to view their maturation on a soulful level and celebrate their strides toward lofty goals. Yet, that closeness exposes one’s soul to being cut deeply during the not-so-good times such as when students decide to forego what I consider essential readings or even attending class.

If one is not careful, the disappointment that gradually grows from working with young people is enough to make the most optimistic educator question if their life’s work is of any consequence. In time, most educators realize that their arrival at a sunken place is paved by the realization that they seem to care more about the futures of those they teach than those they are seeking to uplift do. The above situation is a difficult place to be. I am sure that I have much company in dealing with the frustrations that grow from many, certainly not all, Black students’ conscious decision to ignore an illuminated path to success in favor of a dark one filled with mindless music that encourages immorality and unrestrained consumerism masquerading as Blackness.

Put simply; my soul has grown weary of it all.

An extended period of introspection has forced me to finally confront the following question that has seemingly hooked into my soul.

“Why have you not written on your site in such a long time?”

I am unashamed to admit that the above frustrations with my students and the larger Black community have led me to a place that Langston Hughes describes as The Weary Blues.  The Weary Blues somehow managed to silence my pen. My time of silence has been filled with a desperate fight against Hughes’ Weary Blues. After an extended respite, I am ecstatic to proudly state “Baby I’m back!!!!!!”

I look forward to re-engaging all of you on this site. Thank you all for your support over the years. Additionally, I am looking to expand the site, so, if you have any suggestions on how it could be improved or subjects that you would like for me to address, please drop me a note at the email address below.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

ManhoodRaceCulture@gmail.com