A Historical Timeline, From Whence We Come.

Most amazing about history is its timeline. Back in ‘my day’ World War II and the Vietnam War sounded like events that occurred an ancient civilization ago… until I started ‘recently’ hearing young people referring to the events of September 11, 2001 in terms that (for them) sounded as distant. Adding on to this conundrum was, as well, recently hearing descriptions of slavery (practiced in the U.S.) like a situation that should be filed with the Julian calendar. These points alone wouldn’t seem like much… unless you happen to, by chance, come across a timeline of Earth as I did some two decades ago.

Imagine a 12” ruler, and roughly ten of twelve inches occupied by nothing before dinosaurs roamed Earth. The AD period was such a small speck on this ruler that, quite honestly, I needed a moment to wrap my mind around this picture. On the surface, no big deal. Yet, to examine the model the way it was presented gave me a better perspective of time, or more aptly, history.

At any rate, today marks the beginning of Black History Month, what prompted me to think about this historical timeline. Whereas some historical events occurred over the span of a few years while others may have happened in a day or so, slavery in the U.S. existed for over 200 years. Going by the books the practice was abolished in 1865, though word on the streets is many slaves didn't begin (or were unable) to exercise the ‘basic aspects’ of this freedom until as late as the 1900's. (←And I already know. All of those points are still being debated). 

On my end I still think about a part in Sidney Poitier’s memoir when he came to America from the Caribbean. Apparently the black experience on the islands were unique to the black experience in America, which he didn’t understand when he arrived. As a matter of fact, Colin Powell and I think Grace Jones too, all mention this in their memoirs. ‘Black people have to be doing something that contributes to their struggles’. This is a common perception among those seeing from the outside. Poitier may very well be one of the first to touch me as he told of expressing this sentiment to black Americans. Quietly they told him, “you’ll see.” And indeed he did see, like so many others who fought the hard fight to attain success against odds average humans struggle to even get close to middle ground.

Completing this timeline however, my great-great grandfather, born in the mid 1800's (in America), died (I believe) before my birth. I never met him, but my father (and the family) knew him well, like I knew (and enjoyed) a long relationship with his daughter, my great grandmother. Their stories, too, are incredible. They, like many who worked on farms inherited from enslaved parents, overcame incredible odds to not only survive, but create opportunities for their offspring. This is why Black History Month is celebrated. People like myself are very much connected to our relatives and ancestors, and compelled to honor their struggles and sacrifices by keeping their memories alive.

Celebrating Black History 365

#BlackHistoryMonth #JustBlogged