“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” These words, spoken by writer Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950), express the power of keeping history alive. The people who took risks, led movements, and changed the way people thought ultimately die, but their words and acts should live on to inspire others to fight for what they believe is right.
Woodson has the singular honor of being deemed the Father of Black History, because it was his tireless advocacy on the part of African-American people that resulted in his founding of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History) and, in 1926, his organizing of Negro History Week, which spanned the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
According to the government website African American History Month, both scholars and the general populace found the first Negro History Week an exciting event:
“The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.”
By 1976, the event lasted for all of February and was called Black History Month or African American History Month.
It is the same spirit of celebration and doing the right thing that underscores today’s series of benefit auctions that fall under the heading of Be Bold. Be True.:
The home page for the auction listings explains what all the hype is about.
“IN HONOR OF THE 37TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, THE JORDAN BRAND COLLABORATED WITH CELEBRITY DESIGNER DON C OF JUST DON® FAME TO PRODUCE 37 EXCLUSIVE AND LIMITED EDITION PAIRS OF AIR JORDAN 1′S AND A SIGNATURE BHM JUST DON® SNAPBACK.
AS A BOLD DESIGNER AND STYLIST, DON C LAUNCHED JUST DON® IN 2011 AND IS RECOGNIZED IN REINVENTING THE SNAPBACK LOOK BY USING PYTHON AND GENUINE LEATHER BRIMS.
DEBUTING IN 1985, THE ORIGINAL AIR JORDAN 1, SET A NEW STANDARD FOR PERFORMANCE AND STYLE. MICHAEL JORDAN SIMULTANEOUSLY BROKE LEAGUE RULES AND HIS OPPONENTS’ WILL WHILE CAPTURING THE IMAGINATION OF FANS WORLDWIDE. EVER EVOLVING, EVER AT THE PINNACLE OF IMAGINATION, THE AIR JORDAN 1 REPRESENTS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH IN BASKETBALL FOOTWEAR.”
Plenty of savvy eBay sellers and shoppers responded to our eBay Story, Nike Mags: The future is back, about a pair of Nike Mags that Nike made to replicate the shoes made famous in the Back to the Future movies. And plenty of people are flocking to bid on these new benefit auctions. For example, we have the Limited Edition Nike Air Jordan 1 BHM (Size 13) + Just Don Snapback Hat:
An amazing 75 bids have currently hiked the asking price of this custom package up to $1,775. But the honor of current highest price goes to another listing, the Limited Edition Nike Air Jordan 1 BHM (Size 9.5) + Just Don Snapback Hat, essentially the same custom package, but in size 9.5 rather than size 13. The current high bid (with 30 bids) is at $3,650.
It would take a fine mathematical mind such as that of Grace Alele Williams (author of The development of a modern mathematics curriculum in Africa) or algorithm expert Dr. Nathaniel Dean (thesis: Contractible Edges and Conjectures about Path and Cycle Numbers) to correlate the number of bids with the most common shoe sizes and also explain how comparatively few bids ratcheted the price of the size 9.5 kicks so quickly.
The net funds raised from these auctions go toward the work of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a nonprofit organization that describes itself as the “nation’s largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network.”
On the government site about African American History month, scholar Daryl Michael Scott observes, “Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice.” Take a moment this month to reflect on the ways brave visionaries have shaped the history of our nation.
I am wondering when we have white history month. It was the white man who started this nation, and we took it from the indians where is their month. Why do black people always need something special to associate themselves with……..what a joke.
To paraphrase Tim Wise, white people do have their own history months, lots of them. They just have tricky names, like March, April, May and so on.
I see minority history/heritage months as a way of making up for what’s still lacking at all other times in our mainstream cultural, educational, and other societal settings — that is, a fully integrated and proportionally accurate representation of racial and ethnic minorities. We may be making progress in those terms (and even that’s debatable), but we’re just not there yet.
Also, Native American History month is November.
I recommend reading Howard Zinn’s landmark book “A People’s History of the United States”. Zinn, a professor of political science at Boston University, points out that U.S. history books have traditionally focused on white history, marginalizing or ignoring the history of Native Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans and other ethnic groups.
While I think black history is important and should be taught, along with all other U.S. history…..
I kind of see Nike stuff like this problematic for black youth, too much importance focused on “the best kicks” etc etc etc.
I personally find it kind of sickening that a bunch of Nike stuff has anything to do with Black History teachings….