Why We Celebrate Black History

Thank you for following COMAEANEWS throughout this month. To wrap it all up, here is a short video discussing the importance and why we celebrate black history. Did you have a favorite post from COMAEA this month? If so, please let us know. We hope that this will led to more dialogue relating to cultural enlightenment. Thank you and remember.....



WE ARE BECAUSE THEY WERE!

Malcolm and Martin - #BlackHistoryFact

 

Did you know that these two iconic leaders only meet once? On March 28,1964; after a press conference at the U.S. Senate, King has a brief encounter with Malcolm X. King writes in his autobiography "I met Malcolm X once in Washington, but circumstances didn't enable me to talk with him for more than a minute." The photos were taken because both men happened to be in the Capitol building that day to listen to politicians debate the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which would later pass.

King's use of nonviolent civil disobedience and Malcolm's "by any means necessary" stance were in direct contrast to each other.  So for many, photos from that date represent both the yin and yang of the black community. 

Malcolm X was assassinated before the two would ever be able to meet again.  Three years after Malcolm X's assassination, King would also be assassinated.  Both men were 39 years of age at the time of their deaths.

Harriet Tubman - Black History

Harriet Tubman became famous as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad during the turbulent 1850s. Born a slave on Maryland’s eastern shore, she endured the harsh existence of a field hand, including brutal beatings. In 1849 she fled slavery, leaving her husband and family behind in order to escape. Despite a bounty on her head, she returned to the South at least 19 times to lead her family and hundreds of other slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Tubman also served as a scout, spy and nurse during the Civil War.






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Black History Month at the County of Marin

The County of Marin African-American Employee Association (COMAEA) continues to celebrate Black History Month. As we come near a close to this month, we wanted to share with you a video recorded by COMAEA where we got the opportunity to a meet with Marin County's Board of Supervisors and discuss the importance of black history. Check out the video below.

Lift Every Voice and Sing - Black History

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" often referred to as the "Black National Anthem" is a song that was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson. His brother, John Rosamond Johnson, would later set the poem to music. In 1919, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) dubbed it "The Negro National Anthem" for its power in voicing the cry for liberation and affirmation for African American people.

Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring,

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies,

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun

Let us march on till victory is won.

 

Stony the road we trod,

Bitter the chastening rod,

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,

We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,

Out from the gloomy past,

Till now we stand at last

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.

 

God of our weary years,

God of our silent tears,

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;

Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light,

Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;

Shadowed beneath Thy hand,

May we forever stand.

True to our God,

True to our native land.

Wendell Scott - Black History

Wendell Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racer.  Scott was a pioneer in the sport of auto racing as the first Black full-time driver on the NASCAR circuit. Acting as a driver and his own mechanic he gained the admiration of fans and fellow drivers through his grit and determination to be successful in a sport deeply-entrenched in the Jim Crow south.  Wendell had a very light complexion and blue eyes and as such many white people did not realize that he was Black. He was not immune to the ill effects of racism, however. Despite his enthusiasm and skill, racing was not easy for Scott as he faced numerous obstacles. Fans derided him on almost every lap and white drivers often did everything they could to wreck him, knowing that in the era of Jim Crow, he wouldn’t dare retaliate. Many other drivers, however, came to respect Scott. They saw his skills as a mechanic and driver, and they liked his quiet, uncomplaining manner. They saw him as someone similar to themselves, another hard-working blue-collar guy swept up in the adrenalin rush of racing, not somebody trying to make a racial point. "He was a racer -- you could look at somebody and tell whether they were a racer or not," said driver Rodney Ligon. "Didn't nobody send him [to the track] to represent his race -- he come down because he wanted to drive a damn racecar." Some white drivers became his close friends and also occasionally acted as his bodyguards.

In April 2012, Scott was nominated for inclusion in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and was selected for induction in the 2015 class, in May 2014. In January 2013, Scott was awarded his own historical marker in Danville, Virginia. The marker's statement reads “Persevering over prejudice and discrimination, Scott broke racial barriers in NASCAR, with a 13-year career that included 20 top five and 147 top ten finishes.”

A 1962 Chevrolet built by Scott for the movie Greased Lightning on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  Greased Lighting was loosely based on Wendell Scott's life. Richard Pryor played Scott in the film.

Wendell was Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 30, 2015.

Comic Book Hero: Lobo - Black History

Lobo, a western hero (he did not possess superpowers), is a former Union soldier who heads west after the Civil War. Upon being wrongfully accused of murder, Lobo sets out on a mission to fight injustice and to clear his name.

Lobo’s importance to comic history stems not only from being the first black comic hero to star in his own series, but also in that he is free from the racist stereotypes that plague other early black comic book characters. In fact, the comic doesn’t even make reference to the fact that Lobo is black.

Unfortunately, racist attitudes would ensure that Lobo would  be a very short-lived series. Although 200,000 copies of the first issue were printed, only about 10,000 – 15,000 copies were sold. This was largely due to many retailers refusing to carry a comic book about a black hero. What’s more, many of these retailers not only returned Lobo, but also every other comic shipped with it. The return of so many unopened shipments was a huge loss for Dell Comics and caused Lobo to be canceled after only two issues.

Although the brief series was a financial disaster, a comic starring a non-stereotypical black hero was a huge milestone for people of color in comics.








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