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River Reporter Thursday, February 23, 1995 Black History Month gives hope for inter-racial unity By LEWIS HOWARD, Ph.D. In the beginning of this century, W.E.B. DuBoise, the eminent American social scientist of that time, suggested to his fellow Black Americans that the most talented of them (the talented tenth) would have to utilize their assets on behalf of the others, who without such would be helpless and hopeless in their strivings toward meeting their basic needs and satisfying the demands of society. The suggestion was well received and attracted hundreds of young Black scholars to program centers in New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta, providing a broad foundation for the development of social services, health care, adult education and social planning. The new additions were gladly received by members of Black communities with full cooperation and trust.Between 1909 and 1916, all of these groups were coming into being to define a way that would give the strivings of the Black Americans substance and credibility. But at all times, there were inter-racial groups because DuBoise felt -- and he was right -- that you need some of everybody when you're fighting oppression. The origins of Black History Month can be traced to this movement. Carter G. Woodson felt as DuBoise, that exclusively Black organizations would never reach the power structure. The same group of people started Black History Month. These learned men felt that if oppression was wrong, it was wrong for everybody -- whether it was against Blacks, women, Latinos or Jews. DuBoise, from the onset, felt strongly that there would have to be empowered non-Black people -- there being no empowered Black people -- to assist the talented, feeling that the best of such talent would be unproductive if not connected with the corporate structure. And so the non-Black arrived from settlement houses on the lower East side, from religious schools in Kansas and Iowa, from Quaker and Unitarian groups, and the like. They all -- Black and White, Jew and gentile, men and women -- would provide for the Black community its first real reason to feel hopeful. It worked. From 1900 to 1915, seeds were planted. And by the time of World War I, blossoms were plainly seen. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Urban League, the Association for the Negro History, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and many lesser groups trying to fashion a world that would hold all of the people and would destroy all memories of what slavery had meant in this country or facile oppression had meant in Russia. Blacks and non-Blacks, working side-by-side for just causes, existed in the most segregated places -- often meeting together at grave risk. Such was a most important contribution to the concept of common human needs -- a common humanity. They were quite successful in leading us into the great civil rights movement. They won many great victories. So much good was done, and that is why so many hearts are broken today as we observe Black communities without the needed talented tenth, or the non-Black humanists. We see, as DuBoise foretold, a shattering sense of helplessness and hopelessness. And we feel the pain of the victims asking "Uncle Toms" and "Whities" to get out and stay out -- being unable, of course, to ask them to stay. There are thousands of human beings in America, of every racial, ethnic and religious background, who feel the need for some kind of "breakthrough" or "break-in" as one feels when he sees a young child, or even an older person involved in dangerous destruction. We seemingly have a crucial problem on our hands, as the end of this century draws nigh. Only the talented and the empowered can offer to the mix their important contributions which will give to the people hope again. [Editor's Note: The writer is president of the Sullivan County chapter of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. A retired clinical psychologist, Dr. Howard said he now spends his spare time raising tomatoes at his home in South Fallsburg.] |
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© 1985-2006, Tom Rue. All rights reserved.
