Comments on BougieLand: Summarizing Black History Month – It is all just a...

Thanks for the posts everyone! You all have amazi...

2010-10-28T13:26:10.848-05:00

Thanks for the posts everyone! You all have amazing insight.

I would agree with some of you that mentioned about being a teen and trying to understand what all that history meant.

I would have credited a disconnect or a minimal understanding after the play to something like that.

But what I saw bordered on an embarrassment, a disdain, and disrespect of what was being presented before them. To me it is one thing to miss the message, but somewhere in their minds I had hoped they at least realized that what they were watching was in some way important to them.

If someone messed up in the play, fine - they laugh because they are teens. But even on a basic level I guess I expected them to understand suffering is never funny, even if they don't fully understand how that past has shaped their present.

But you all are right. We all really share the burden of responsibility of bridging generational gaps and cultivating an understanding of black and American history.

Okay where to start.... Well let my start by first...

2010-03-03T17:22:47.361-06:00

Okay where to start.... Well let my start by firstly introducing myself I am a 20 year Bahamian who is producing my own Caribbean Day Talk show that will be syndicated all over the Caribbean and problems like this is exactly what I want to tackle. Most black people appreciate their heritage when they go off to university unless they are blessed like me who has a very afro-centric father who only bought me black history books as presents. At least in the States you guys celebrate Black history month, we in The Bahamas do not even do that, we learn more about the Arawaks (who are by the way extinct) that inhabited our islands before we even came. We do not teach our children about our heritage. We do not indoctrinate them about slavery and the after effects like the jews do with the holocaust. Some black people do not even like to identified with being black. We have not shaken the effects of mental slavery and it has manifested into a form of self hate because we do not educate ourselves about our past. Those youths sadly are a reflection of our failure to them.

Great and timely post. One of my youth group memb...

2010-03-02T10:56:35.114-06:00

Great and timely post. One of my youth group members told me that he thought Mahalia Jackson (I had to help him with "Mahalia") sand the theme song for the tv show The Jeffersons. I of course explained that she sang "Move on up a little higher" not movin' on up - to a deluxe apt. in the sky...
I didn't know whether to shriek in horror or hang my head in shame - somewhere we have collectively failed to teach/share our history). So, as part of the solution I am going to share a black history fact each week. Every little bit helps.

There's something about being too far removed ...

2010-03-01T15:11:16.666-06:00

There's something about being too far removed that effects them.

Like SpkTruth2Pwr, my grandparents were sharecroppers. My mom is the youngest of 14 and by the time she was 2, my grandfather had been able to buy his own land, but I know my family's story is the exception not the rule. Too many kids don't know their own family history and what it means for them today. It's all about being cool and we don't do enough to encourage them to respect their history.

Sometimes... I just shake my head and wonder what can we do? Something -- we gotta do something.

Good Post. :) When I was a little kid and teenage...

2010-03-01T11:37:11.107-06:00

Good Post. :)

When I was a little kid and teenager, I took my heritage for granted. It's been with me all my life, so I did not take it seriously until I grew up. LOL. Personally, I understand the teenagers not getting it. Some of those teens' parents are just as ignorant as they are in regards to Black History. Black History is just not history in America but history all over the world.

Those teenagers, "the millennial", did not get here by themselves; their parents are responsible too. We all have been teenagers before, so we know how it is. Yes, we do have different experiences, but we still can relate in some way. I believe "talking down" to the teens is not going to make the situation better. Speak to them as though you are genuinely interested in elevating their thinking.

My thoughts on Black History Month....It is not a month for me; I am not black one month out of the year; Black History is my history. {wink}

Very true. I volunteer with a group of teens and ...

2010-02-28T16:58:42.514-06:00

Very true. I volunteer with a group of teens and I am always amazed by the individuals I have conversations with. When you get them alone. In a group it seems there is less incentive to engage or think critically about barious topics.

LOL - this is because parents are no longer allowe...

2010-02-28T15:16:06.153-06:00

LOL - this is because parents are no longer allowed to "beat sense" into their kids!

I don't know I think all these "New Jack&...

2010-02-28T15:14:48.476-06:00

I don't know I think all these "New Jack" parents just don't call out kids the way they used to. If I even rolled by eyes at a program or during church service, I would get called all out my name and givena look that promised a beatdown the minute we stepped outside the sanctuary... no my parents didn't wait till we got home. They said if I cut a fool in public they could whup an ass in public. Shoot, I STILL don't chew gum in church, ya know?

There is a line adults must be mindful of when dea...

2010-02-28T13:36:27.237-06:00

There is a line adults must be mindful of when dealing with teens. The line that separates who teens are as a group and who teens are as individuals.

The best way to deal with teens is in small intimate groups where you can hone in on their true feelings and fears.

They hide in groups and you can never get to the core of who they are.

Thanks for the posts everyone! You all have amazin...

2010-02-28T13:26:23.151-06:00

Thanks for the posts everyone! You all have amazi...

2010-02-28T13:02:49.461-06:00

I agree, Sarah. Honestly, I don't remember fu...

2010-02-28T11:30:46.641-06:00

I agree, Sarah. Honestly, I don't remember fully understanding (or even trying to) our history at that age. My true appreciation for the contributions and sacrifices of past generations didn't come about until my 20s. I don't think this generation is totally lost, so planted seeds of knowledge is critical. The teen years are some of the most reflective when you get older, so I think when we combine this with maturity the intended message becomes clear and relative...finally.

Great post! I agree that we have work to do with t...

2010-02-28T11:21:27.122-06:00

Great post! I agree that we have work to do with the Millennials but it's really our fault. Somewhere along the way some of us quit stressing the importance of knowing where you've come from in order to get to where you're going. Black History Month is a start but whoever made those kids go see the play should've forced them to take a quiz on what they learned and read their answers out loud. I'm big on shamin' young 'uns into learning ;-)

Excellent wrap up to black history month and very ...

2010-02-28T11:05:15.285-06:00

Excellent wrap up to black history month and very eloquently stated. It's the parents of these youngsters that need to remind them of the importance of looking back and understanding so that we / they will not be doomed to same fate or mistakes. We should also be looking to schools to educate and encourage our young black teens but that seems a dead end.

Nice post.

I think the two most hazardous times of person'...

2010-02-28T09:49:09.695-06:00

I think the two most hazardous times of person's life are between the ages of 0 and 2 and between puberty and around 21 to 25. There is a whole lot of stupidity that goes on during the teen years. I wouldn't give up on the millennial generation just yet. You have to keep planting the seeds and even though maybe only 1/10 of the information gets through it is sitting there in their minds and when they get some sense in their 20s they will go back and pull it out and do their own research and discovery. Being in a theater full of teens is like being submerged in hormonal overload and group think. High school teachers are way up near the top of the list of people I admire because they have to cope with this day after day. I don't know how they do it.

Kids are exposed to culture anymore, even if it...

2010-02-28T07:29:51.326-06:00

Kids are exposed to culture anymore, even if it's a black history play. I am so happy my mother and my mothers friends made sure that I got to experience some reallly wonderful things in my childhood. Last year they took my sons class on an underground railroad field trip. The kids were so scared, being chained and running through the snow and hiding. Some were even moved to tears through the experience and they were only 6th graders. I was really grateful that their teacher gave them this experience.

Tiffany
http://liferequiresmorechocolate.blogspot.com/