Black history is American history, and American history is Black history. They are inseparable. They are intertwined.
Imagine no slavery in America's history. I'm not saying it was right. It was morally wrong to allow one man to enslave another man. Black people picked the cotton before the advent of farm equipment to do that job. They farmed the farms for food production during the agricultural evolution of our nation.
This does not excuse the abusive mistreatment of Blacks. It's just a historical fact. Slave labor was part of the engine that built the U.S. economic engine.
Imagine no Civil War or Abraham Lincoln. We could still be two nations constantly fighting each other over the rights of all Men to be treated equally. We are still fighting one side against the other, but it's not the North versus the South. It's the political class versus the working class.
We seem to be always fighting about something, one group against another group.
Imagine no Civil Rights Act of 1964 or Voting Rights Act of 1965. We would be back to fighting the Civil War again, but we are not. We are now fighting for the survival of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" in accordance with the Constitution.
Imagine no professional baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, or Hollywood. We would not have as many Black millionaires, and fewer non-Black millionaires. These are areas of endeavor where God-given talent and abilities can take one to the top of their profession. Blacks have also succeeded in corporate America and as business entrepreneurs in large numbers. They're just not as visible to the public's eye.
Imagine if there were no Lincoln, JFK, Ronald Reagan or MLK. We would not be the most free and largest economy in the world. And by the way, we did it in less than 240 years, which is faster than any other great nation in history.
As Dr. King pointed out during his life, "We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."
The USS United States of America is headed in the wrong direction. If it crashes like history would predict, then we will all go down with the ship. It won't be a sudden and dramatic titanic crash. It would be like a death by a thousand cuts.
We can heal what's ailing America, but it will take all of America together to do that.
Black History Month is a reminder of what we must do to defy old history, and create a better than expected future history.
