February 2012
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The Men of the Tenth Inc. February 2012 The Men of the Tenth Inc. Black History 2 The life story of Benjamin Banneker. Poem 3 J. C. Gaston defines what it means to be cool. Obama 5 President Obama reflects on how reading black history affected him. Segregation Must Die Let’s not fool ourselves, we haven’t reached the promised land, North or South. We still confront segregation in the South in its glaring and conspicuous forms. We still confront it in the North in its subtle and hidden forms. Segregation is still a fact. Now it might be true that old man segregation is on its deathbed. But history had proven that social systems have a great last –minute breathing power. And the guardians of the status‐quo are always on hand with their oxygen tents to keep the old order alive. (Excerpt from The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., 1998)
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The Men of the Tenth Inc.
Transcript of February 2012
TheMenoftheTenthInc. February2012
The M
en o
f the
Tent
h In
c.
BlackHistory 2
ThelifestoryofBenjaminBanneker.
Poem 3
J.C.Gastondefineswhatitmeanstobecool.
Obama 5
PresidentObamareflectsonhowreadingblackhistoryaffectedhim.
Segregation Must Die
Let’snotfoolourselves,wehaven’treachedthepromisedland,NorthorSouth.WestillconfrontsegregationintheSouthinitsglaringandconspicuousforms.WestillconfrontitintheNorthinitssubtleandhiddenforms.Segregationis
stillafact.Nowitmightbetruethatoldmansegregationisonitsdeathbed.Buthistoryhadproventhatsocialsystemshaveagreatlast–minutebreathingpower.Andtheguardiansofthestatus‐quoarealwaysonhandwith
theiroxygententstokeeptheoldorderalive.
(ExcerptfromTheAutobiographyofMartinLutherKing,Jr.,1998)
TheMenoftheTenthInc. February2012
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BenjaminBannekerwasaself‐taughtmathematician,outstandingastronomer,authorofalmanacs,surveyor,humanitarianandinvestor.HewasbornnearBaltimore,Maryland,in1731;hewastheonlychildofafreemulattomotherandAfricanfather,whopurchasedhisownfreedomfromslavery.Bannekerlivedallofhislifeonhisparent’sfarmonthePatapscoRiverinBaltimoreCounty.YoungBenjaminattendedintegratedprivateschools;heobtainedaneighthgradeeducationbyage15,andexcelledinmathematics.Hetookoverhisparents’farmandbecameanexcellentfarmer.
JosefLevi,atravelingsalesman,showedBannekerapocketwatch,somethinghehadneverseenbefore.HebecamesofascinatedoverthewatchthatLevigaveittohim.Hetookthewatchhomeandspentdaystakingitapartandputtingitbacktogether.In1753,usingthewatchasamodel,BannekerproducedthefirstwoodenclockeverbuiltintheUnitedStates.Itwasmadeentirelyofwood,andeachgearwascarvedbyhand.Hisclockkeptperfecttime,strikingeveryhour,formorethanfortyyears.Newsoftheclockcreatedsuchasensationthat
peoplecamefromallovertoseeit,andthegeniuswhomadeit.
Duringtherevolutionarywarperiod,GeorgeEllicot,aneighbor,introducedBannekertothescienceofastronomy,whichherapidlymastered.HisaptitudeinmathematicsandknowledgeofastronomyenabledhimtopredictthesolareclipsethattookplaceonApril14,1789.In1792,BannekerbeganpublishinganalmanacthatwaswidelyreadandbecamethemainreferenceforfarmersintheMid‐Atlanticstates.Itofferedweatherdata,recipes,medicalremedies,poemsandanti‐slaveryessays.ThisalmanacwasthefirstscientificbookwrittenbyaBlackAmericananditwaspublishedannuallyformorethanadecade.
Banneker’smajorreputationstemsfromhisserviceasasurveyoronthesix‐manteamwhichhelpeddesigntheblueprintsforWashington,D.C.PresidentWashingtonhadappointedBanneker,makinghimthefirstBlackpresidentialappointeeintheUnitedStates.BannekerhelpedinselectingthesitesfortheU.S.Capitolbuilding,theU.S.Treasurybuilding,theWhiteHouseand
otherFederalbuildings.Whenthechairmanofthecivilengineeringteam,MajorL’Enfant,abruptlyresignedandreturnedtoFrancewiththeplans,Banneker’sphotographicmemoryenabledhimtoreproducethemintheirentirety.Washington,D.C.,withitsgrandavenuesandbuildings,wascompletedandstandstodayasamonumenttoBanneker’sgenius.
Banneker’spreoccupationwithscientificmattersinnowaydiminishedhisconcernfortheplightsofBlacks.Inatwelve‐pagelettertoThomasJefferson,herefutedthestatementthat“BlackswereinferiortoWhites.”Jeffersonchangedhispositionand,asatestimonial,sentacopyofBanneker’salmanactotheFrenchAcademyofScienceinParis.AnotherwasusedinBritain’sHouseofCommonstosupportanargumentfortheeducationofBlacks.Bannekerwaslivingproofthat“thestrengthofmindisnowayconnectwiththecoloroftheskin.”
BannekerdiedonOctober25,1806,wrappedinablanketobservinghestarsthroughhistelescope.
Benjamin Banneker 1731‐1806
TheMenoftheTenthInc. February2012
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792
I’m Was Cool By:
J. C. Gaston
Theysaidthedoorsofopportunitywereclosingfast,andallthesignssaidthatthegoodtimesweren’tgoingtolast,butthatdidn’tbotherme,BecauseIwascool.
Myteacherskepttryingtogetmetolearnread’n,writ’nandmath,talkingaboutyouneedthatstufftomakeitdownlife’spaths.ButIjustlookedatthem,andlaughed.Isaid,“Ya’llmightneedtoknowthatstuff,butnotme,becauseI’mcool.”
Themteacherswasalwaysgettingonmycase,andItoldthemIknewthatitwasbecauseofmyrace.Theyjustcouldn’tdealwithme,becausetheywassquare,andIwascool.
Iusetobesocleaneverybodywouldstopandstare,causeIwaslookinggoodwithmycurlfreeonmyhair.Hey,ifyou’vegotit,you’vegotit,andIknewIwascoolandlookinggood.Ididn’tlearnnothinginschool,buttheystillletmepass.Iwasshogett’nova,evenifIwasatthebottomofmyclass.Buttheystillletmegrad‐u‐atefromhighschool.Idefinitelygotova!Butyoucandothatwhenyou’recool.
Aftergrad‐u‐ationIgotcleanandwenttolookformeajob.IknewIwasgoingtomakemesomelongbread,buymeanewride,andstaycleanandcooleveryday!Iwasdefinitely,goingtohaveeverythingmyway!Buttryingtoreadthemjobapplicationswasfarfromacharm,andItoldthedudeattheemploymentofficeIcouldn’twrite
TheMenoftheTenthInc. February2012
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(Continued)
ThisquotefromKanyeWestisoneofmyfavorites.Hiswordsaremotivational;theyencouragemetobecomeahistorymaker,aleader,historic,andrelentlesstowardsachievingmydreams.Today,boysandgirlsneedtoknowthateverydaythereareblackpeopleinoursocietytryingtoimplementchangebyfollowthestepsoftheirancestors.Thisquoteisimportantbecauseblackhistoryhasbeendiluted,hidden,andaltered;itisourobligationtomakesurethatweworkhardtocontinuecreatinghistory.Inaddition,Kanye’squotesuggestsweshouldcelebratetheleadersbeforeusthroughouttheyearinsteadofforamonth.Blackhistoryisnotjustblackpeople’shistoryit’sAmerica’shistory.Therefore,weshouldcherishiteveryday.
“Makeblackhistoryeveryday,Idon’tneedamonth.”
‐KanyeWestfromBrandNew
toogood,causeI’dhurtmyarm.Butthelookonhisfacetoldmethathedidn’treallybelievethat,andthedudewasn’thardlyimpressedbymybadnewhat.
Welltomakealongstoryshort,Ifinallygotmeajob,butIdon’tgetmuchpay,andfromthewaythingslookitsalwaysgonnabethatway.Ididn’tlearnmuchinschool,andyousuredon’tgetpaidmuchwhenallyoucandoisbecool.
IfIcouldgobacktoschoolI’dlearnallIcould,andeverytimeItalktootherbrothersItellthemtheyshould.Irealizenowthatmyfuture’snottobright,andwithouteducationit’skindahardtomakethingsright.
YouknownowthatIthinkaboutit,maybesomeofthoseteachersthatIthoughtwasgettingonmycase,wereactuallytryingtohelpmeintheeducationrace.ItssurehurtswhenIrealizethatwithmyabilities,IcouldhavebeenanythingthatIwantedtobe,ifIhadappliedmyselfinschool.
ButinsteadoflearningallIcouldinschool,Ispentmostofmytime,sittinginthebackoftheroom,lookinggood,andbeingcool.
J.C.Gaston’smessageissimply,forgetbeingcool;besmart.
TheMenoftheTenthInc. February2012
Igatheredupbooksfromthelibrary‐Baldwin,Ellison,Hughes,Wright,Dubois.AtnightIwouldclosethedoortomyroom,tellingmygrandparentsIhadhomeworktodo,andthereIwouldsitandwrestlewithwords,lockedinsuddenlydesperateargument,tryingtoreconciletheworldasI’dfounditwiththetermsofmybirth.
OnlyMalcolmX’sautobiographyseemedtooffersomethingdifferent.Hisrepeatedactsofself‐creationspoketome;thebluntpoetryofhiswords,hisunadornedinsistenceonrespect,promisedanewuncompromisingorder,martialinitsdiscipline,forgedthroughsheerforceofwill.
(ExcerptfromDreamsfromMyFather,2004)
How Black History Helped President Obama
TheMenoftheTenthInc.
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