Sun Devil
Death and Taxes
I put this thread in the current events section because since we are in the month of February, and since you'll likely see commercials honoring Black History Month, I figure I take the time out to bust some myths and state some facts regarding Black History Month. So in the following I'll bust some myths and I will try to keep up and post other facts regarding African diaspora and African-American history. See the following Myths and Facts:
Myths: "Everyone in the United States is an immigrant."
Fact: African-Americans being descendants of African slaves and Native Americans are the only two cultures that never willfully migrated to the New World. Although the Native Americans thousands of years ago via being the descendants of a group that crossed Asia Minor during the ice age and across the frozen ocean later settled in the New World their descendants are thus indigenous to the land called America (United States). Africans on the other hand were forcefully brought over here via slavery.
Myth: "Africans sold their own into slavery"
Fact: The above statement is a classical stock argument many whites unfortunately use to pacify slavery in the United States. First and foremost Africa is not a country and the slaves the Africans that "sold" other Africans were tribal enemies, just as the Greeks and Romans selling "their own" and since Africa is composed of different countries they were no more "selling their own" than the Europeans who "sold their own" into slavery. African slavery and Trans-Atlantic slavery are two different incidents. Many people who use the "Africans sold their own" argument is what is known as the Arab Trader Argument where:
"It excuses an evil of one’s own past by finding the same sort of evil done by others. Whites sold slaves, but Africans and Arab traders did too!"
Myth: "Black History is anti-white"
Fact: Black History although it's credited for only one month, is actually United States American history due to the fact that those that contributed to the wealth of the U.S were American citizens. Black History is important because it highlights the contributions of people of color. A lot of people do not realize that many facets of society highlights Caucasian achievements or European achievements most notably Christopher Columbus yet very little is discussed about African-American achievements. That is why many cultures in the U.S have different organizations and channels, and clubs that are affiliated with specific diverse cultures because America for far too long has been grounded on the foundation of Eurocentrism as well as ethnocentrism.
Myths: "Everyone in the United States is an immigrant."
Fact: African-Americans being descendants of African slaves and Native Americans are the only two cultures that never willfully migrated to the New World. Although the Native Americans thousands of years ago via being the descendants of a group that crossed Asia Minor during the ice age and across the frozen ocean later settled in the New World their descendants are thus indigenous to the land called America (United States). Africans on the other hand were forcefully brought over here via slavery.
Myth: "Africans sold their own into slavery"
Fact: The above statement is a classical stock argument many whites unfortunately use to pacify slavery in the United States. First and foremost Africa is not a country and the slaves the Africans that "sold" other Africans were tribal enemies, just as the Greeks and Romans selling "their own" and since Africa is composed of different countries they were no more "selling their own" than the Europeans who "sold their own" into slavery. African slavery and Trans-Atlantic slavery are two different incidents. Many people who use the "Africans sold their own" argument is what is known as the Arab Trader Argument where:
"It excuses an evil of one’s own past by finding the same sort of evil done by others. Whites sold slaves, but Africans and Arab traders did too!"
Myth: "Black History is anti-white"
Fact: Black History although it's credited for only one month, is actually United States American history due to the fact that those that contributed to the wealth of the U.S were American citizens. Black History is important because it highlights the contributions of people of color. A lot of people do not realize that many facets of society highlights Caucasian achievements or European achievements most notably Christopher Columbus yet very little is discussed about African-American achievements. That is why many cultures in the U.S have different organizations and channels, and clubs that are affiliated with specific diverse cultures because America for far too long has been grounded on the foundation of Eurocentrism as well as ethnocentrism.
