Why An African History Month

Why, An African History Month?

The motherland's histories are complex with over 2000 cultures, constituting, different languages, traditions and customs and they all have their own stories to tell. It would be mutually beneficial to have our history to be accessible in one historical umbrella. Each month would address a different topic. This will plant the seeds of knowledge to be harvest for the future generations. Most importantly, "African History Month" would serve as a catalyst to correct the gross misconceptions, omission and distortions of it's history.of African people globally.

The word African specifically relates to the indigenous people of the African continent and their descents in the Diaspora ( Caribbean , Americas , Arabia , etc). The race-nationality model such as that currently employed by African-American, African-Brazilian and African-Caribbean communities more accurately describes the identity whilst fully articulating the history and geopolitical reality

The miscellaneous usage of the label 'Black' within this site reflects its contemporary use as a means to denote a specific
sociocultural and political context. It is recognized as a colloquial term that was fashioned as a reactionary concept to derogatory racial epithets in the 1960's. It is offensive when used as a racial classification code word to denote African people. Other such denigrating terminology when made in reference to African culture, heritage or identity are 'Tribe', 'Sub-Saharan Africa', or 'black Africa '.

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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Underground Railroad Quilt Code

Secret messages in the form of quilt patterns aided slaves escaping the bonds of captivity in the Southern states before and during the American Civil War.

Slaves could not read or write; it was illegal to teach a slave to do so. Codes, therefore, were part and parcel of the slaves’ existence and their route to freedom, which eventually became known as the Underground Railroad. Some forms of dance, spirituals, code words and phrases, and memorized symbols all allowed the slaves to communicate with each other on a level their white owners could not interpret. Codes were created by both whites aiding the slaves, and by Blacks aiding the slaves. The Blacks included other slaves, former slaves or free men and women. In slavery, secrecy was one way the blacks could protect themselves from the whites; even the youngest child was taught to effectively keep a secret from anyone outside of the family.