We are all Africans

I was invited to an elementary school in the District of Columbia to talk about Ethiopian culture and society. More than fifty students in the school are recent arrivals from Ethiopia, and the school took the first step by reaching out to the Ethiopian community members to learn about the backgrounds of its students.

On my discussion, I asked the teachers about the Battle of Adwa, Mero Kingdom, Harer, King Menilik, Aksumite Empire, Lucy and Ge'ez. Most of the participants were familiar with Ethiopian food rather than with the African history. I was not surprised because in the District of Columbia, there are many well-known Ethiopian restaurants that attract people from all over the world.

It was the first step for the school to educate its own teachers regarding the African culture and history. T he educational process largely ignores the contributions of blacks to world civilization. Even many educated individuals assume that people of African ancestry had contributed little if anything to the development of world civilization.

"History is a clock," a noted historian Dr. John Henrik Clark once wrote, "that people use to tell their political and cultural time of the day. It is also a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. The role of history is to tell a people what they have been, and where they have been, what they are and where they are. The most important role that history plays is that it has the function of telling a people where they still must go and what they still must be."

Recently, an Ethiopian college student asked me, "Why did they choose the shortest month of the year to celebrate Black History Month?" Black History Month has its own evolution, it has not always been a month long event celebrated by mainstream American society. According to the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH), the celebration was started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson as a "Negro History Week" in February 1926 in the local Washington, D.C. and Baltimore School systems. The week long celebration was dedicated to Fredric Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, at the 50th Anniversary of Negro History Week, ASALH expanded Negro History Week to Black History Month.

"If you can control a man's thinking," Dr. Woodson stated, "you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him or accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself."

This year's Black History Month's theme is "Remembering the Past and Building the Future." One of the purposes of the Black History Month celebration is to lift up the spirit of the black community and examine the rich history and culture developed by people of African decent.

This year, the People's Congregational Church, in conjunction with the African Resource Center, will host the building of a boat in its Hall of Nations at the Church. This boat building is a symbol of the transitions made by Africans and African Americans in their journey from the old world to the new.

Today that journey is being replicated, not by enslaved African men, women and children, but by those who are making a conscious effort to become a part of American Society.

The celebration creates awareness about the achievements and success of the black community. It helps young black Americans become aware and build positive self-esteem of the many contribution of their ancestors, who had to overcome obstacles and setbacks to become successful. Above all, Black History months should stress the value of education and learning through out the year.

In the 21st Century, facing the challenges of a global economy, the success of America is closely tied to the success of its citizens of African heritage. By educating instead of incarcerating young black and minority youth, the country will be a stronger nation in the global market place. As the government has a responsibility in the security of this county, it must also ensure its citizen the opportunity they need to realize their American dreams of a better life.

The key to a better life is education. We must reach out to black and minority youth to encourage them to stay in school and to finish college so they can compete successfully;' for good jobs and take advantage of promising career opportunities by working in corporate American or by starting their own businesses. Instead of building prison we must focus on creating education and economic opportunities. Creating better opportunities foster a more secure and safer community.

In a global economy it is essential that all of us learn to understand the ethnic diversity o this country. According to the Brookings Institution study, "The World in a Zip Code," Washington Metropolitan area attracts one the largest African immigrant in the country. The dominant African source countries for the area are immigrants form Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Somalia.

Developing ethnic literacy foster s pride in one's own culture and a respect and appreciation for the uniqueness of others. Recently, I asked and an Ethiopian college student if she knows why people celebrate Black History Month. She was surprised by my question she answered, " I am a black as you can get. I am proud of my ancestry and I am proud of being black."

Sev"Dinenkinesh." Lucy was a female hominoid that lived in what is now called the awash Valley in Hadar some 3.2 millions year ago. When her skeletons were discovered in 1974, Ethiopia claimed that it was the first dwelling of mankind.

Javier Gomez-Garcia wrote, "The first genetic evidence supports that hypothesis called 'Out of Africa’, also named 'Mitochondrial Eve,' 'Noah's Ark,' or 'Garden of Eden,' which states that all modern humans have our origin n n a small African population that lived 200,000 years ago, and for which there is only one maternal lineage." In Black History month we have to remember all of us have one ancestor and we are all Africans.