Everyday is Black History Month

[mivida2k]

Let me get this straight...you just spoke (in full caps lock) for ALL African Americans. Is this correct?  I would hope, if you are heading for law school, that you would formulate a better argument for why a man with so many credentials and thousands of followers, does not deserve credit for his many accomplishments.  Please respect the fact that MANY African Americans celebrate his work and believe deeply in his passion for law in society.

Please respect that fact that you do not have to post on this thread.  Who's following Ward Connerly? Names since you know so much.

[whiteytighty]

WE, AFRICAN-AMERICANS, DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE NOR CLAIM WARD CONNERLY.  HE IS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO OUR RACE.  WE ARE INSULTED BY ANY POSTING OF HIM TO BLACK HISTORY MONTH WHEN HE DENIES HIS OWN HERITAGE AND GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING THAT BLACK HISTORY AND OUR ANCESTORS ARE ABOUT AND HAVE WORKED SO HARD TO ACCOMPLISH.

There goes my Clarence Thomas bio idea...

[Runner-up]

So, it's impossible to be African-American and socially conservative. This is why the Republican party doesn't go to great lengths in its outreach to the black community. Because they know that for the most part they won't even be heard.

[One Step Ahead]

So, it's impossible to be African-American and socially conservative. This is why the Republican party doesn't go to great lengths in its outreach to the black community. Because they know that for the most part they won't even be heard.

boy you didn't do very well on the LSAT did you?  you can't follow an argument to save your life.  No one claimed that it is impossible to be African-American and socially conservative--while I might disagree with the vehemence of  mivida2k's post, I would venture to guess that the vast majority of African-Americans have a negative opinion of Ward Connerly, not necessarily based on his politics.  Notice no one put Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton on this thread either.

"This is why the Republican party doesn't go to great lengths in its outreach to the black community. Because they know that for the most part they won't even be heard."
well as long as the Republican party only espouses empty rhetoric, you are right the black community probably won't listen.  Let's be honest here that isn't the reason why they don't reach out to the Black community.
 
Lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,
Whereto the climber-upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees,
By which s/he did ascend.

[blk_reign]

 

 ROBERT H. LAWRENCE, JR
1935 - 1967
The first African American Astronaut.

United States Air Force Major Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., was the first African American chosen by NASA to be an astronaut. He was born in Chicago on 2 October 1935 and graduated from Englewood High School at age 16. He earned a Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, in 1956, serving as Cadet Commander of the Bradley Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps while in school. Upon graduation he accepted a commission as Second Lieutenant in the USAF Reserve and began flight training with the Air Force. He became an Air Force aviator at the age of 21 upon completion of his training. Lawrence completed a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at The Ohio State University in August 1965. His doctoral dissertation concerned the chemical conversion of tritium rays to methane gas. He was soon assigned as a research scientist at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory at Kirkland AFB, New Mexico.

[Maj. Lawrence as Flight Instructor in T-33 aircraft] Lawrence was a senior USAF pilot, accumulating well over 2,500 flight hours--2,000 of which was in jets. Major Lawrence flew many tests in the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter to investigate the gliding flight of various unpowered spacecraft returning to Earth from orbit, such as the North American X-15 rocket-plane. His research was instrumental in proving the steep-descent gliding concept that would later be employed with the Space Shuttle.

In June 1967 Lawrence successfully completed the Air Force Flight Test Pilot Training School at Edwards AFB, California. That same month he was selected by NASA as an astronaut in the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program, thus becoming the first African American astronaut. The MOL project would eventually lead to today's International Space Station.

Major Lawrence was killed on 8 December 1967 in the crash of an F-104 at Edwards AFB.
He was flying backseat on the mission as the instructor pilot for a flight test trainee learning the steep-descent glide technique. The pilot of the aircraft successfully ejected and survived the accident, but with major injuries.

During his brief career, Major Lawrence earned the Air Force Commendation Medal and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Citation. After many years of relative obscurity, his achievements, dedication, and sacrifices for the nation were finally recognized on 8 December 1997, when his name was inscribed on the Astronaut Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In further tribute to his life and work, The Ohio State University formally dedicated its new chemistry building's largest lecture hall as the "Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., Lecture Hall" on 21 January 2000.

[mr*mouth*piece]

“If you are the son of a man who had a wealthy estate and you inherit your father's estate, you have to pay off the debts that your father incurred before he died.  The only reason that the present generation of white Americans are in a position of economic strength... is because their fathers worked our fathers for over 400 years with no pay... We were sold from plantation to plantation like you sell a horse, or a cow, or a chicken, or a bushel of wheat... All that money is what gives the present generation of American whites the ability to walk around the earth with their chest out... like they have some kind of economic ingenuity.  Your father isn't here to pay. My father isn't here to collect.  But I'm here to collect and you're here to pay.”  - Malcolm X 1964.

[mr*mouth*piece]

I sure many of you have read this before but I'll post it because I think its appropiate for this thread.

America Without Black People

A very humorous and revealing story is told about a group of white people who were fed up with African Americans, so they joined together and wished themselves away. They passed through a deep dark tunnel and emerged in sort of a twilight zone where there is an America without black people.

At first these white people breathed a sigh of relief. At last, they say, no more crime, drugs, violence and welfare. All of the blacks have gone! Then suddenly, realty sets in. The "NEW AMERICA" is not America at all--only a barren land.


There are very few crops that have flourished because the nation was built on a slave-supported system.

There are no cities with tall skyscrapers because Alexander Mils, a black man, invented the elevator, and without it one finds great difficulty reaching high floors.

There are few if any cars because Richard Spikes, a black man, invented the automatic gear shift, Joseph Gammell, also black, invented the Super Charge System for Internal Combustion Engines, and Garrett A. Morgan invented the traffic signals.

Furthermore, one could not use the rapid transit system because its precursor was the electric trolley, which was invented by another black man, Elbert R. Robinson.

Even if there were streets on which cars and a rapid transit system could operate, they were cluttered with paper because an African American, Charles Brooks, invented the street sweeper.

There were few if any newspapers, magazines and books because John Love invented the pencil sharpener, William Purvis invented the fountain pen, Lee Burridge invented the Type Writing Machine and W. A. Lovette invented the Advanced Printing Press. They were all, you guessed it, black.

Even if Americans could write their letters, articles and books, they would not have been transported by mail because William Barry invented the Postmarking and Canceling Machine, William Purvis invented the Hand Stamp and Phillip Downing invented the Letter Drop.

The lawns were brown and wilted because Joseph Smith invented the Lawn Sprinkler and John Burr the Lawn Mower.

When they entered their homes, they found them to be poorly ventilated and poorly heated. You see, Frederick Jones invented the Air Conditioner and Alice Parker the Heating Furnace. Their homes were also dim. But of course, Lewis Latimer invented the Electric Lamp, Michael Harvey invented the Lantern and Granville T. Woods invented the Automatic Cut off Switch. Their homes were also filthy because Thomas W. Steward invented the Mop and Lloyd P. Ray, the Dust Pan.

Their children met them at the door-barefooted, shabby, motley and unkempt. But what could one expect? Jan E. Matzelinger invented the Shoe Lasting Machine, Walter Sammons invented the Comb, Sarah Boone invented the Ironing Board and George T. Samon invented the Clothes Dryer.

Finally, they were resigned to at least have dinner amidst all of this turmoil. But here again, the food had spoiled because another black man, John Standard invented the refrigerator.
Now, isn't that something? What would this world be like without the contributions of Black folks?

[BIG H2001]

“If you are the son of a man who had a wealthy estate and you inherit your father's estate, you have to pay off the debts that your father incurred before he died.  The only reason that the present generation of white Americans are in a position of economic strength... is because their fathers worked our fathers for over 400 years with no pay... We were sold from plantation to plantation like you sell a horse, or a cow, or a chicken, or a bushel of wheat... All that money is what gives the present generation of American whites the ability to walk around the earth with their chest out... like they have some kind of economic ingenuity.  Your father isn't here to pay. My father isn't here to collect.  But I'm here to collect and you're here to pay.”  - Malcolm X 1964.

How does Malcolm X serve to improve race relations?

[mivida2k]

“If you are the son of a man who had a wealthy estate and you inherit your father's estate, you have to pay off the debts that your father incurred before he died.  The only reason that the present generation of white Americans are in a position of economic strength... is because their fathers worked our fathers for over 400 years with no pay... We were sold from plantation to plantation like you sell a horse, or a cow, or a chicken, or a bushel of wheat... All that money is what gives the present generation of American whites the ability to walk around the earth with their chest out... like they have some kind of economic ingenuity.  Your father isn't here to pay. My father isn't here to collect.  But I'm here to collect and you're here to pay.”  - Malcolm X 1964.

How does Malcolm X serve to improve race relations?

You should check out his autobiography and other books regarding his philosophies.  Before he died he changed some of his attitudes/beliefs that continued with African-American sustainability and reliance, but that all races should work together.  Do not go by the K-12 teachings or rumors.  Let me know if you would like some reading suggestions.

[BIG H2001]

Ok, fine.  I'm not going by K-12 teachings, I took a few classes in undergrad about U.S. history of the 1960's.  One taught by a cultural historian who really empahasized the civil rights movement of the 1960's.  However, he only mentioned the militant side of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, the Black Panthers, etc. 

I just thought that if we are going to learn Black history we should learn it and not be doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.  After all, I think that's why we learn history.  Knowing about the past improves the present humand condition.  I see the message of Malcolm X, as it has been portrayed, as stuck in another era.  One which I think has lost its applicability for the most part.  It seems that nowadays such a message would only divide rather than unite people.