On the eve of the last day of Black History Month I notice that I didn't speak on the subject. I believe that one should learn their culture everyday, all year around. For me, Black History Month is 365 days. I have always been impressed by Jewish culture and their respect to people who have lead the way before them and the importance the Jewish culture places on tradition. I try to embrace everybody's culture as much as possible. One of my favorite people in this world is Woody Allen by far but I would not be able to appreciate Woody as much without the early influence of director/writer Mevin Van Peebles.
Let me state i'm an french decent African born in America who was raised in Texas. My knowledge of African culture really didn't start until I left schooling and made a point to embraced my culture. Since then I have learned volumes; Marcus Garvey, Huey P Newton, Clarence 13x, Martin Luther King, Malcom X, George Washington Carver, Thelonious Monk, Eddie Murphy, Ray Charles, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Jack Johnson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Archibald Alphonso Alexander, Louis Armstrong, Roy Campanella, Hootie, Stevie Wonder, Jim Brown, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Joe Louis, Michael Jordan, Langston Hughes, Roy Innis, Ervin "Magic" Johnson, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Hendrix, Prince, Booker T. Washington, Sidney Poitier, Rosa Parks, B.B. King, Toussaint L'Ouverture, Thurgood Marshall, James Van Der Zee and all them Wayans.. ha! But seriously I could go on for days & years.
I love my culture so much and so thankful of the sacrifices that were made to make my life better.
I grew up HEAVY into sports so my earlier references of African culture was mostly sports stars. The number one person besides Ken Griffey Jr.(sorry Grif) and Michael Jordan was Muhammad Ali.. LOVED ME SOME ALI!! The way he did it and how he did is the definition of how to do it. Ali's bravado alone deserves it's own staute. The thing I love the most about the champ was his understanding of HIS importance to a struggling oppressed culture. He made sure that he did the right thing no matter what. I love Muhammad Ali "Float like a Butter Fly Sing like a Bee".
This video captures the essence of my Muhammad Ali.
From MSG channel documentary, Kings of the Ring, this documentary covers the boxers who made the Madison Square Garden the Boxing Mecca it is today. (Great Doc!!!)
"Back in 1909" learn up and don't forget
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