Education, Cultural Literacy and Positive Change!
Welcome to the Spring Edition of The Positive Community where the focus is on Education. Shout-out to the schools, colleges and universities that advertise in this publication and on our other media platforms. We appreciate you and encourage all of our readers to support communitybuilding institutions and businesses that care. In addition to our coverage of education on the local scene, TPC will dedicate 2022 to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) around the country. In this issue, we feature Virginia Union University (pg. 36) and William Hooper Councill, founder of Alabama A&M University (pg.38).
Hope of Generations
This is certainly a time of victory in our American freedom journey as we now welcome Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to become the first Black woman Justice on the United States Supreme Court. After the Senate vote, standing on the White House Lawn, flanked by President Biden and Vice President Harris, Justice Brown-Jackson, thanked many friends and colleagues for their support and encouragement. She went on to praise God and her family, and then paused to acknowledge that both her maternal and paternal great grandparents were born into slavery. It was the toil, sacrifice, faith, prayers and hope of the generations who came before her that she credits for her success today!
Dignity and Integrity
When it comes to education and positive change, let us never waver in courage and resolve to go forth by keeping “Our Eyes on the Prize:” The progress of our children and the dignity and integrity of our African American values, culture and traditions—our collective soul— mean everything! Just ask Justice Brown-Jackson.
With Critical Race Theory, the “1619 Project “and Reparations dominating today’s intellectual conversations on race, does the African American Cultural Narrative (pg.69) deserve objective analysis and critique by our own community’s thought leaders?
Here are the important questions:
- Should the Cultural Narrative be taught to the children?
- If so, who would be responsible for teaching it?
A. The home
B. The school
C. Faith and community institutions
D. All the above
Our American Story
Today’s reality is that the state of Black culture in America is in serious crisis—a planetary emergency! Shame on Fortune 500 companies, especially in the music and entertainment industries who would mass market and profit from promoting backward anti-social behaviors and negative lifestyles to our young, the poor, and the unlearned; enslaving them to an uncertain future of ignorance, debt and fear!
Shame on those among us who would know better but choose to look the other way! In real time, we are witnessing the decline of a people and the obliteration of their culture—African American culture! The “enemies of progress” are waging a relentless, wicked and unholy war upon the souls of our children; generations are being lead astray. Tragically, this is just what cultural genocide looks like!
I wonder what Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s great grandparents would think about how we are treating one another and allowing for others to mistreat and misrepresent us? Are we forgetting the many trials, the tribulations and the triumphs of the past? What are we teaching the children about our American experience; and on whose terms?
The Cultural Narrative was written in May of 2012, in anticipation of the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Study it for yourselves. What was first published 10 years ago is as true today as it will be even 50 years from now. The Cultural Narrative is the truth about who we really are: Beloved Sons and Daughters of The Most High God; Mighty Descendants of the Great Emancipation—1863. And that is our American story—our narrative!
Our Divine Right
While the Cultural Narrative is not the solution to all of our challenges, it sure is a step forward. It’s designed to inspire in the souls of our young people a real hunger for truth and an unquenchable thirst for righteousness. We must never, ever take our collective accomplishments and gifts for granted, or ignore our claim on the American Dream! Again, two questions for open debate: 1) Should the Cultural Narrative be taught to children; 2) Who would be responsible for teaching it?
What if we were to set a tangible goal for ourselves? What if we could individually and collectively see to it that each child from our community, by their thirteenth birthday would be able to read, write, speak and comprehend the Cultural Narrative—“a new language of freedom?” (See the video visit our website: thepositivecommunity.com)
We owe this to the ancestors and to our Heavenly Father— “Thou who has brought us thus far on the way.” Never forget: it is our divine right, and our patriotic duty to preserve, protect and promote our very best—America’s best! Cultural literacy will fortify and ensure the progress of future generations as we embrace the ideals of Positive Change!
