So my school is having a Black History Month assembly today and they needed to get students to contribute to the assembly. What my school decided to do was to force all of the students in Advanced Drama to read poems and preform scenes written by famous African Americans in front of our entire student body. I chose to work with this girl in my class and we were assigned the Maya Angelou poem "Still I Rise". 
 
This girl and I have been practicing it all week and I just can't help feeling a little funny saying lines like "I'm the dream and the hope of the slave" and "I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide" because I'm white. It is a great poem and all but the speaker in the poem is a African American woman and I am neither black or a woman. This girl has to say "Does my sexiness upset you?" in front of the whole school, including her brother.
 
I just kind of wish they let us pick what poem we wanted to read instead of making us read this one or even just gave us the option to be in this assembly or not.

The only question I have is: Who would be upset by sexiness!?!

" The only question I have is: Who would be upset by sexiness!?! "

Yeah, that is weird.  But whatever, just say what you have to say and it'll be fine.

most of my black friends find black history month offensive. i don't rightly understand why they would devote a month to people with a certain skin colour. just seperates people imo.

Is there a white History month? Or a native American History month?

The only thing Black History month related I participated in was just going to the Chuck D. lecture at Sacramento State. They should have allowed you to do Fight the Power by Public Enemy.

" most of my black friends find black history month offensive. i don't rightly understand why they would devote a month to people with a certain skin colour. just seperates people imo. "

In middle school, we would go all out with black history month.  During the half hour of homeroom, everyday, there would be a question over the announcements that was something black history related.  At the end of the month, the homeroom with the most points won a breakfast party.
 
It was terrible.

Oh, you mean White Guilt Month?

You could just tell the teachers to stfu. The whole concept is just blatantly offensive IMO and was invented so white people could feel less guilty. Not that I feel guilty for what some ignorant racist bastards did though.

I would read a excerpt from Maya's" A Caged Bird Sings", something particularly brutal or moving. 
 
I would also consider watching a clip from Speilberg's Amistad.  
 
  

I thought it was a thread about this awesome song by Death From Above 1979 - Black History Month: 
  

" @Linkyshinks: Are you fucking kidding me? "

" @DCFGS3:   White history will never need to be promoted in America in the same way.   It's important that all young Americans understand fully the evils of their forefathers. If there are any young black Americans that don't think the promotion of their history is important, they have shit for brains. They're proof that black culture has been "white-washed" and made to seem dull, when in truth it's a very rich culture and history. Africa has brought to fruition some of the greatest civilisations this planet has ever seen.  The problem with black people in America is that they already have little or no connection, to the very rich culture and history they have in their lands of origin, a history which makes America's looks like feeble shit in comparison, I should add.  "

" @HandsomeDead said:

" @Linkyshinks: Are you fucking kidding me? "

 I don't kid. What exactly are you referring to?  "

Morgan Freeman does not like Black History Month. 
 
/topic

It probably will feel weird to say that but just try to go first and get it out of the way.

" @Linkyshinks:  I'm not going to make a child feel the guilt for something they had no part in. Neither will I feel the guilt for what some guy did 300 years ago, And I will never "fully understand" the "evils" of my forefathers. And neither will you.   It's time to move on. "

" Morgan Freeman does not like Black History Month.   /topic "

" @Linkyshinks:  I'm not going to make a child feel the guilt for something they had no part in. Neither will I feel the guilt for what some guy did 300 years ago, you can fuck right off with that idea. And I will never "fully understand" the "evils" of my forefathers. And neither will you.   It's time to move on. "

White history will never need to be promoted in America in the same way.  
 
It's important that all young Americans understand fully the evils of their forefathers. If there are any young black Americans that don't think the promotion of their history is important, they have shit for brains. They're proof that black culture has been "white-washed" and made to seem dull, when in truth it's an extremely rich culture and history. Africa has brought to fruition some of the greatest civilisations this planet has ever seen, it's the prime place on the planet that European cultures have raped in order to gain the very standing they have in the world today - Fact. 
 
The problem with black people in America is that they already have little or no connection to the  rich culture and history they have in their lands of origin. A history which makes America's looks like feeble shit in comparison, I should add. Those intelligent enough to educate themselves, will already know much about Nubia and the kingdoms of Benin and Great Zimbabwe, while those dumb are filled with what white Western scholars have lied about and twisted for centuries.  
 
If you leave white man to teach the black man who he is, he will leave the black man feeling ashamed and inferior.  It's this very inferiority complex which has been the prime root of many troubles relating to young black Americans. This is happening all across the world today, not just in America but also in former colonies. it's the Western scholars word that is taught, not the black history as black people know it.  

 

" Morgan Freeman does not like Black History Month.   /topic "

From a little reading on the issue, it seems Black History Month is a celebration of African American history and arts, and it seems quite racist. If it was a commemoration of the liberation of the slaves, and the civil rights movement, then perhaps such issues could be celebrated and discussed around Martin Luther King Day, and simply for a week (seriously, a whole month is a bit long). Also the issues and events should only relate to either slavery or the civil rights movement, not history or literature outside of that context.

" @Linkyshinks: Tell me something - where are you from? "

" @Cube said:

" @Linkyshinks: Tell me something - where are you from? "

 I'm from the U.K "

" @Linkyshinks said:

" @Cube said:

" @Linkyshinks: Tell me something - where are you from? "

 I'm from the U.K "

Kind of ironic, don't you think? England oppressed Africa to the nth degree. I don't believe you should feel bad about that though - it wasn't your doing. "

My people are still waiting for a designed history month :(

" @Wolverine: man if my school made me do that i would have gone medieval on the teachers... "

" @Linkyshinks: Tell me something - where are you from?  Let's face it - "educating" young Americans about the EVILS of their forefathers is pretty much equivelant of saying "Look at the horrible things YOUR people did, don't you feel bad?"   My ancestors come from America. I'm a Canadian. I was never "FULLY" made aware of the "evil". But if I was, what good comes from it? It'll only make me feel guilty. I agree that the whole slavery thing is horrible but I am not sorry for anything because I had no hand in it. "

" Morgan Freeman does not like Black History Month.   /topic "

I got confused abit. I but then i remember that your black history month is in Feb. 
 
In the UK it is October.

Hmmm this thread is quite amusing, liking the false assumption that are being tossed around.
 
Kind of odd that they have such a thing over there in America land. Knowing about it is important but it appears to be hammered on. Guess that I am on the same page with Oldschool here.

I never remember that it's Black History Month until some random show brings it up. Or in this case a random thread on the Internet.

" I thought it was a thread about this awesome song by Death From Above 1979 - Black History Month: 
  

"

" @DCFGS3:   
 
White history will never need to be promoted in America in the same way.  
 

" Morgan Freeman does not like Black History Month.   /topic "

Black History is such complete bullshit. Black people have egos as big as white people (In general). I always hated  going to my fathers house in February because the whole black part of my family would be there and just bitch and moan about nonsense involving black people. Just get over it.

The irony of your egoentrism @ahriman22 said:

" Black History is such complete bullshit. Black people have egos as big as white people (In general). I always hated  going to my fathers house in February because the whole black part of my family would be there and just bitch and moan about nonsense involving black people. Just get over it. "

" @DCFGS3 said: 

"  @Linkyshinks said: 

" @DCFGS3:   
 
White history will never need to be promoted in America in the same way.  
 

Why not? is white history and culture somehow less deserving? "

 I'm sure those American kids that pledge allegiance to the flag and sing the national anthem everyday, get an ample fill, of what you Americans call "history".    "  

" Morgan Freeman does not like Black History Month.   /topic "

i do not think we need a black history month either. sure we should talk about the troubles that blacks had back in the day but we should not do things.

" @Linkyshinks: Wow, linky I normally agree with everything you say, but uh.. that is some bullshit right there. I didn't hurt anybody, I didn't enslave anyone I was born into a family that taught me to accept people, I have never seen people of other races as inferior, racism goes both ways, but I will not be held accountable for something that was done before I even existed. 
 
 "It's important that all young Americans understand fully the evils of their forefathers."  Really linky? Really? I don't care about what they did, I know who I am and I don't need a month dedicated to showing me that white people are evil. But the English are not free from prejudice and past sins either,   The empire took over countries and established colonies and ruled by force. It established slave trade to work sugar plantations in the Americas. It used opium to cause the fall of China and take over Hong Kong. Plundered countries and their people to enrich themselves. Massacre millions of people to maintain control.   So lets start Naughty U.K month so you can be constantly reminded of the past evils of your country. "

•  Who said you did?   
• Great. 
• Who's asking you to feel accountable :?, not I. Where have I said that following generations are accountable?  (my post is below)

 @Linkyshinks said:

"I only ask that all kids in America are educated with historical facts and truths regarding black history, simply because it's very conducive for them to formulate an opinion which has a positive bearing on who they become as individuals."

I think the standard of living is much better in USA at the moment than it is in Africa.
But what do I know, I'm undereducated.