Up until recently, I was very ignorant about my heritage. The only Black history that was taught to me was during Black History Month. Even then, I only learned a part, not the whole. According to some of my grade and high school history textbooks, my people were nothing more than savages whose only contributions to the world were farming and slaves.
Only when I came to college did I learn about the rich and interesting history that is my cultural birthright. Stories of women such as Ellen Craft, a slave who disguised herself as a white male while her husband pretended to be her servant in order to escape the chains of bondage. I was like a kid in a candy store. I had so much information and so little time to learn everything that was hidden from me. I immediately became angry. Angry at the school system that had bamboozled me and so many other generations of Black children. Angry at myself not seeking my heritage sooner. But this anger was a good thing. I would never allow myself to be this ignorant again and I would make sure that my own children would know about their heritage, with or without the school’s help.
However, there are many in the African-American community who are unaware of their heritage, other than what is shown on television. There are some who actually believe that stereotype about Africans swinging in trees when the slave boats came and that is so disheartening. The most tragic consequence of this mentality is that many African-American children are growing up today complacently ignorant about their heritage, not caring about anything other the latest pair of Air Jordans and the new 50 Cent CD.
According to African-American historian John Henrik Clarke, in order to control a people, you must first control what they think about themselves and how they regard their history and culture. And when they feel ashamed of their culture and their history, prison chains are not necessary.
That is so true. Many generations of African Americans have been poisoned with self-hatred as a result of the lack of knowledge of ourselves and our past. Some of us have forgotten about the blood, sweat, and tears of Africans who were brought to this country against their will and whose blood still runs deeply in our veins.
That is why it is so important to know one’s heritage. We have to break the cycle of complacent ignorance when it comes to our ethnic past. We know that the school system is not going to teach our children about their heritage. We cannot let another generation of African-American children suffer from cultural degradation. In our veins, flow the blood of kings and queens who fought and died for their beliefs and who would be saddened by the state of their descendents who have forgotten where they come from.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Henry
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