Image via Wikipedia

by Michael Myles

In recent years, I've heard a lot of talk about the future of Black History Month-- whether it's still needed, whether it unites or divides, whether it should be combined with American History. While I understand how this topic is intriguing to adults, I don't think they should make the final decision. I strongly believe that younger people, since we are the future and will be affected the most by the decision, should have a strong say in what the future of Black History Month looks like.  Personally, I cast my vote in favor of keeping it separate.

Last year, in my junior year of high school, I was required to take US History. During the entire course, we never discussed anything about the contributions of African Americans- until February. And when February came, we talked about everything! (And I do mean EVERYTHING!) We talked about slavery, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Black inventors, African American Women, and even African American Olympians. There is no doubt that this was the part of the class that I paid the most attention to, but I felt as though the teacher tried to cover too much information in too short a time. In a way, I wished that the information would have been spread out throughout the entire course, and not just for that month; but then I thought that I wouldn't have learned as much.

Since grammar school, February has been the only time where I have formally learned about my history. And if there wasn't Black History Month, I don't know when I would have learned it. If it is taken away in the future, or combined with American History, I fear that Black children will never formally learn about their history. This is important to me because we need to know our roots. It is good for us to remember what our forefathers have been through so we can see what our ancestors gave us. When I learned how many Africans made something out of their lives despite how badly they were treated, I felt proud to be Black.

There may be those who disagree with me, but I honestly believe that the races are not treated equally in America- even today. I feel that Black people have to work harder to get opportunities. I remember my parents making our family watch a special. I have forgotten what is was, but I never forgot this statistic. It's probably worse now with the economy like is it and all, but then it was: If two men, one white and the other Black, walk into a corporate office looking for a job and both were equally qualified, 85 percent of the time, the white man will get the job because he is white.

And as harsh as it may sound, things are this way, in my opinion, because of racism. I think that racism still exists in America. No, white people in white sheets are not burning crosses in my front yard, but there is inequality in the sense that Blacks don't get the same privileges as others. I could tell you stories my parents and grandparents told me, but I will tell you a story that I experienced personally.

One time, a couple of my friends and I were at the grocery store buying a lot of things. As we were checking out, we were struggling to get all our bags out of the store. I remember thinking that it was weird that they did not ask to see if we needed assistance as they usually do. I just brushed if off as a change in policy. But when the white woman behind us was asked, I knew something was fishy.

Martin Luther King, Jr. via last.fm

By Quenton Keatts

            Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a legend. I especially esteem the memory and ministry of Dr. King because learning about him made me feel proud of my history and heritage. Studying his life "had me feeling like Black was the thing to be" in the words of the late, great Tupac Shakur. ¹

 As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King this month, we also celebrate his contributions to the progress of the Black race in the 1960s. Unquestionably, we have made great advancements, but have we arrived?  Has Dr. King's dream of racial harmony and equality been realized?  Is the struggle over?  I insist that the answer to all of these questions is no!

Some people will argue that Barack Obama's inauguration one day after the 2009 King Holiday was a symbol that Dr. King's dream had finally come true. But I disagree. There is a difference between the fulfillment of a dream and the furtherance of a dream. There is a distinction between the arrival of a people and the advancement of a people.  Have we come a long way?  Sure. Have we arrived? No. Are African American people living under better conditions now than we were a half a century ago? Yes. But do race, class, and gender still play a role in cases of discrimination in America today? If King were alive today, I don't think anyone would be telling him that his dream has been realized. In fact, I think he would still be fighting for justice and equality.

Think about the conditions of the Black community. What would King say about senseless murders in our communities? What would he say about Black on Black crime?  What would he say about the number of single parent homes? What would he say about the divorce rate? Drug infested ghettos? Teenage pregnancies? The increasing dropout rate among high school boys? What would he say about racism, discrimination, police brutality, and racial profiling? I dare say that Dr. King would not be pleased with the state of the Black community today. As long as there are discriminatory practices in higher education and corporations, the dream has not been realized.  As long as there is overcrowding in highly concentrated urban schools, the dream has not been realized.  Until young teens understand that there are consequences to their actions, whether its sexual intercourse, drug use, gang activity, or wasted opportunities, the dream has not been realized.  When this nation is more concerned with foreign policy than fighting poverty in our own backyard, the dream has not been realized.  If our nation is more concerned with incarceration than education, the fulfillment of King's dream a long ways off in the distance.

          I challenge you to do your part in bringing King's dream to fulfillment. Ask the questions that he would ask and to do the things that he would do. Become the leader that you admire in him. Receive the baton of leadership and represent the people who need you the most: the disadvantaged, the underprivileged, and the needy. I am going to commit myself to doing the same thing, but don't wait for me to do it. I may not make it. Don't wait for King to come back, because it's not going to happen. You must do it. And you must start today and start where you are. Look around you. See what changes you can make in your community. See how you can represent the voiceless. Because if you don't do it, who will? If you don't do something, what will become of our communities? What will become of us?

By: Willie Townes

Where do you see yourself in two years? What about five years? Do you have a detailed plan for achieving these goals? As a teen, it's easy to live from day to day without thinking about the specific steps you need to take to reach your future goals successfully. Many of you may be so bogged down with trying to balance work with school, responsibilities at a job, and expectations from parents that you think there is no time left in the day to plan. But if you are going to be successful, you must make time to think about where you want to go, and create a map that will take you there. As a Christian, keep in mind that it is not enough for you to simply implement a plan you thought of on your own. Be sure to pray as you plan your future. Below, find three steps to help you achieve the resolutions you set for the New Year and the plans you make for your future.

1. Set a specific goal

2. Write the goal

3. Making necessary adjustments to reach the goal.

By Dyamond Pruitt

I never left milk and cookies out for Santa Claus... I never stayed up late to hear Rudolph on the roof... and I never begged my parents to put out the fire so Santa wouldn't burn his buns when he came down my chimney... LOL! But it wasn't that I didn't believe in him, because I did (at least for the first five years of my life). Thinking back though, I don't remember my parents teaching me about Santa Claus. I guess I believed in him because of all the songs I sang in preschool like "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and all the cartoons I watched during the Christmas season. I was only 4 or 5 when my older friends and cousins told me he wasn't real.

Months before the film officially hit theaters, black women everywhere were already referring to Princess Tiana of Disney's The Princess and the Frog like her last name was Obama. That's how momentous the arrival of Disney's first black princess felt to us. And while we could compare this landmark animated character to the decade's other cultural trailblazer, I think Tiana is less President Barack Obama and more Will Smith. I imagine that somewhere in the land of happily ever after, she's saying to Cinderella, tiara fully cocked to the side while sliding on a pair of black Ray Bans like Smith in Men in Black, "You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good."

Photo by Keith Allison         

By Tim Lee, COMMENTARY

The Tiger Woods scandal is just one more example of how the media use irrelevant gossip and slanted opinion to distract us from what really matters.

Part drama, part sports flick, part urban exposé, The Blind Side tells the inspiring true story of NFL star Michael Oher and the white family who transformed his life -- and had theirs transformed as a result.

By C. Jeffrey Wright

The elevation of Black dysfunction and the invisibility of positive Black images are sending destructive messages about the reality of Black life, both to our young people and to those outside the Black community