Black History Month has stirred African Americans from varied generational standpoints to reflect on issues of race and age and some of these voices are profiled.
Opinions on the month-long celebration unveil the sharp contrast of experiences and perspectives among African Americans, who are decades removed from the Civil Rights Movement.
“I’m contemplating the removal of Black History Month altogether,†said Randy Fletcher, a 31-year-old history major. Fletcher says dedicating a month to a particular race only serves to put African Americans in a class by themselves, thereby, increasing racial division.
Norman Harris, a 70-year-old security guard from Inglewood disagrees, and said, “If you do away with that, there’s nothing in a history book to tell you who did the first (African American) patent number, who did the first open heart surgery.â€
Harris, who works in Orange, says it would be hard for people to learn about agricultural chemist George Washington Carver and scientist Louis Latimer, who worked alongside Alexander Graham Bell.
The disagreement illustrates the broadening generational gap between older and younger African Americans.
“The older generation is not teaching us anymore,†said Craig Kelley, 19.
Assistant Professor of English, Kim Beatty, serves as the advisor to Cypress College’s Black Student Union. Beatty, 38, says these aren’t new concerns. “If you want to learn, you’ll seek out that information. What you heard is nothing new. The challenge is, this generation doesn’t have the thirst we had.â€
Harris says the lack of thirst among young African Americans extends into other areas of life, particularly as it relates to work ethic. “They’re struggling because of the lack of effort in what they do.”
A native of Monroe, Louisiana, Harris recalls a childhood spent in houses without running water or electricity. Daily chores included stocking wood on the front porch, bringing water into the house, herding cows and “slopping the pigs.†School days were preceded by pre-dawn work, and he often came home from school in the dark. His school clothes consisted of one shirt and one pair of pants.
“The kids now couldn’t have made it, when I came along,†said Harris. “The kids now want instant success. If you want to deal with the ones that are 18, you can’t get them to walk into the back of a café and do dishes. They won’t work at a car wash.â€
Erin Wimberley, an 18-year-old student said, “We’ve become content. When I try to move up in corporate America, that’s when the fight will begin again.â€
Beatty says the divide is pronounced when it comes to political and cultural issues. “Our generation and the generation before were so much more politically tactful and politically aware.”
On political tactfulness, Harris spoke of Generation Y’s use of the slang term “nigga,” a modified version of the explosive racial epithet, when referring to friends.
“There’s no difference,†said Harris. “What’s the difference between ‘this’ and ‘dis’?â€
Fletcher says he is caught between two generations and sees a riff between older and younger African Americans. Not content with black leaders Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, Fletcher is a fan of Illinois senator Barack Obama, a Democrat.
“I like Obama; he’s from my generation,†said Fletcher. “He speaks for me.â€
And the term “black leader†is not popular with Fletcher. “We shouldn’t even call them black leaders. Should we call George Bush a white leader?â€
Fletcher, who describes himself as progressive, disagrees with those who say he is trying to tear down what was built during the Civil Rights Movement. “No, I’m trying to build upon it.â€
Beatty echoed the sentiment, saying that though Coretta Scott King, who died on Jan. 30, had an agenda that was not for today, young African Americans can still stand on her principles.
Harris says African Americans need to get back to what he calls the basics. The father of 11 children says the root of modern day African American problems is the lack of family values passed on from generation to generation.
Raised by his aunt, Mary Gray, Harris says she taught him about life. He also takes pride in his own children, whom he describes as doing good, because of his teaching.
“The young blacks have no respect for themselves or each other,†said Harris. “They kill each other. Their parents don’t teach them nothing about family values. You have to show them, not just tell them.â€
Beatty believes the issue lies in a confused sense of identity among young African-Americans. “My identity is determined by my heritage, not by what I wear, or the amount of black art I hang in my house. That is what this generation doesn’t get.â€
Harris says the difference in generations is similar to modern and antique automobiles. “Youngsters today are like new cars. Nothing but something pretty to look at and gone in five years. Antique cars are still running.â€
As African Americans continue to collectively celebrate Black History Month, many, as Fletcher, stand clothed in their own personality, refusing to be labeled African American, black or, as Harris’s generation was referred to, colored.
“How about you just call me Randy,” said Fletcher.
These voices represent different generations, different experiences and different perspectives.
The African American community has gathered at the crossroads of their own history. Depending on the path taken, the next 40 years will see a dream fulfilled or a dream deferred.
