Sunday, February 05, 2006

Black Heritage Month

It's February, Black Heritage Month, and yes, I have a problem with it.

(Hold on, Vent-- Don't hurt me, yet.)

I have several complaints about Black Heritage Month. And they are all ways to make it better. So, for the sake of organization, I will present the issue I have with Black Heritage Month, and then the solution.

February.Let's start with the month itself. February? You have got to be kidding me! To name February as Black Heritage Month is a slap in the face to every minority in this nation. In case you haven't noticed, February is the shortest month of the year. Does that not say to you-- well, we think they deserve recognition, but they don't deserve a full month?

Solution: Give Black Heritage Month a full 31-day month to celebrate the history of the heritage of these people-- they fought the All-American fight. Now, if you are going to change what month is Black Heritage Month, you have to move it up. It would send a terrible message to not have Black Heritage Month for 16 months. So, January shold become Black Heritage Month... 31 days, and as an added bonus, it falls right in line with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Omaha.OK, I live in Omaha, Nebraska. (Not by choice.) For those who don't know, Omaha is the birth place of Malcom Little-- you might know him better as Malcom X. OK, so he lived here for like a year. Still, Omaha was a hotbed for racial tension. And I am sensing a little hostility, still. Why do I say that? I grew up in suburban Chicago. And I remember, the local television stations would drop in 15-30 second sweepers recognizing Black Heritage Month-- specifically WGN, but each station had them. Yet, Omaha has nothing. It's almost like Black Heritage Month means nothing to the local media. That is just plain wrong. Somebody needs to be fired over that.

Solution: Plain and simple, More recognition from the local media. At least once an hour, it needs to be recognized. I'm sure the idiot rednecks who happen to live in Nebraska will be offended-- who cares, they offend me, and they offend every minority with their very presence. This id not a celebration to be overlooked-- for every sweeper NBC runs about their coverage of the Olympics, they need something for Black Heritage Month.

The Name.Considering some of the options, I have little problem with the title Black Heritage Month-- but my issue is that it singles out people by appearance. I don't agree with that, but I also know it could be much worse. I'm sure there are many people who drop the N-word in reference to Black Heritage Month. But those of you who know me also know I hate PC-isms. Think about it, here we are attempting not to offend people in what we call then, and yet we continue to segregate in our words. I do not like the term African-American because we tend to focus on the African part of the term. We should focus on the American part. But, you also can't use African-American in asociation with this celebration because not everyone who is of African decent is black. You know who I'm talking about-- the Afrikaners, the people who took advantage of the natives of Africa. What about the Apartheids? Absolutely no reason to include them in this-- NONE.

Solution: As I mentioned, I'd prefer not to refer to people by their appearance. Though, I think it is among the safest titles. But, consider this-- what is Black Heritage about? What were spirituals about? Why did Lincoln emancipate the slaves? What is the overlying theme of Black Heritage? The answer-- Equality. So why not call it Equality Awareness Month? (Personally, I'd like to hear what my good friend Vent thinks.)

Let's wake up people. We are still doing many people a great injustice. It needs to be corrected. Black Heritage Month is not something to be overlooked. We need to shape this up, fast.

To my friends in Illinois, show your support to Senator Obama-- I'm sure he would be in support of these ideas, and we all know he'd take action. To my friends elsewhere, call you Representatives and Senators. Support your fellow Americans.

You may not know it, but some of us who are white, may actually have ancestors who are black. You may be "black enough" to have been a slave. For all you religious types out there-- we all go back to Noah. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. We are all related, let's treat each other like family.

With your help, next January we can all celebrate Equality Awareness Month, together.

Friday, February 03, 2006

I Promise A Real Blog Later

But since Joel decided to pick on me, you get stuck with this-- blame him.

Four Jobs You Have Had:
1.) Television Show Producer
2.) Butcher
3.) Baker
4.) Skating Instructor

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:
1.) Grosse Pointe Blank
2.) The Shawshank Redemption
3.) Run Lola Run
4.) Goldeneye

Four Places You've Lived:
1.) Bensenville, IL
2.) Ames, IA
3.) Winnipeg, MB, Canada
4.) Cincinnati, OH

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch:
1.) CSI
2.) 24
3.) House, M.D.
4.) The Mike Kemp Show (sorry, I had to)

Four Places You've Been On Vacation:
1.) Vancouver
2.) Yellowstone
3.) Grand Canyon
4.) Denver

Four Of Your Favorite Foods:
1.) Pizza Rolls
2.) Ramen
3.) Steak
4.) Spaghetti

Four Places You'd Rather Be Right Now:
1.) Winnipeg
2.) Vancouver
3.) Colorado
4.) Vermillion, SD

Four Sites I Visit On The Daily:
1.) espn.com
2.) stlcardinals.com
3.) tsn.ca
4.) nhl.com

Four Bloggers You Are Tagging:
1.) Vent
2.) Karen
3.) Matty
4.) Emily