The Importance of African American history: Believe in fairy tales!

Hi and welcome to the Wiki History lecture series called History is Power! Produced by robinlofton.com where history is power. Today, we begin our 5-minute lecture series about the importance of knowing African American history.  We begin by asking why is history important? Great question. Perhaps the answer can be found in this famous journal entry, which says,

Next time I go to a movie and see a picture of a little ordinary girl become a great star, I’ll believe it.

And whenever I hear someone read fairy tales to my little boy, I’ll listen.

I know that dreams do come true.

I know because I am now playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the big leagues!

I always dreamed about playing for the Dodgers, but honestly, I always had my doubts. I used to tell myself: “Something will happen. It just isn’t in the books for you to play in the majors. You’re a Negro. Negroes haven’t been in the big leagues. Some day they will be. But you won’t be the lucky guy.

Can you guess who wrote this entry?  Jackie Robinson. In 1947--following his first major league game with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Jackie Robinson was the first Black person to play major league baseball. He made history. And he went on to win the leagues MVP award in 1949. During his career, he would play in 6 World Series. He concluded this entry by saying,

Being up here is absolutely wonderful. That’s why I’m a believer in fairy tales now. You see, it actually happened to me!

It was said that Jackie Robinson endured more racial insults and threats of violence than anyone in history. But we know that Jackie Robinson made history. And history is power.

We can learn a lot from history—and that can empower us, too. We’ll hear about many African Americans that made great accomplishments. We will learn that they faced lots of obstacles, problems, and rejections. And most importantly we will learn that they still made history.  You see, just like Jackie Robinson said: fairy tales are real. They happened to him. And they can happen to you, too.

But we need to know the African Americans who came before us; what happened before us—the successes, the defeats, the victories and the challenges. We need to know the African Americans who helped to build the United States and, indeed, who helped to shape the world. Some names will be unfamiliar from the past: Dr. Carter G. Woodson who wrote the Negro National Anthem (yes, we have one!) and who founded Black History Month. Ida B. Wells who fought against the horrible (but at-the-time accepted) practice of lynching. And, of course, the mathematical genius, Benjamin Banneker, who made great discoveries in astronomy and developed theories about relativity. Did I mention that Benjamin Banneker was born in 1731, a descendant of slaves?

And, like Jackie Robinson, the road was not easy yet they endured. Others did too. There was James McCune Smith, who moved to Scotland to earn his medical degree because no American universities would accept a Black man. He graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1837 becoming the first African American to receive a medical degree. Dr. Smith then returned to the U.S. where he had a distinguished medical career in private practice, opened two pharmacies, and trained young doctors.

And there is Marcelite Harris who is the first Black woman to become a brigadier general in the US Air Force. However, she had to apply three times before her application for training was accepted.

And did you know that Michael Jordan was cut from the basketball team in his sophomore year?!

You see; nothing came easy for any of them. But these people were not afraid to be first. Or to stand out. Or even to stand alone. They weren’t afraid to fail. They never gave up. Neither should we.

We can learn a lot from them. We can begin by asking ourselves:

But remember that history is not just the study of the past. It is interesting because nobody ever lived in the past.  People have only lived in the present. Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Harriet Tubman didn’t think of themselves as living in the past. They were living in the present. The difference is that it was their present.  They were caught up in the living moment exactly as we are today. They didn’t know how things would turn out. Neither do we.  Jackie Robinson didn’t know what would happen when he joined the Dodgers and stepped on the field that day.  Dr. Smith did not know what would happen when he moved to Scotland to study medicine. But we can use their stories and strength (their fairy tales) to be empowered, inspired, and moved to make our own fairy tales.  

We know the history. And history is power.

History teaches us that we can believe in fairy tales.

This 3-part series will span 400 years of the African American experience: from freedom to equality to justice.  And the conclusion will empower and inspire you. Please look at my website, robinlofton.com for the complete schedule.

Part I will discuss slavery and the fight to abolish that terrible institution.

Part II will present the civil rights movement and the struggle for equality.

Part III is about racial violence and the fight for justice.

Don’t worry. Each part will only last around 5 minutes!  Remember this is called Wiki history!

Join me for Part I of the History is Power! series on Thursday, November 6 when we will officially begin our “fairy tale” journey.

Moving on, October is dedicated to learning about Black explorers—those who stepped boldly into the unknown and gave us stars to steer by. You will learn about the contributions and courage of these explorers (some of whom were born during slavery) and even learn about the first Black woman to climb Mount Everest!

You can find more even more fun and fascinating facts as well as more “fairy tales” on robinlofton.com, especially on my bodacious Blog.  And remember to subscribe.

See you there and, keep believing in fairy tales! They can happen to you, too.