Welcome to the Bronzevillian Supplement, the electronic version of the Community Extension Center’s newsletter. As you know, The Bronzevillian has been published annually since it was founded in 2010. The paper is not only comprised of news regarding events, programming and activities that occur at the Community Extension Center; it also raises awareness about issues citywide, regionally as well as nationally that may be of interest to African-descended peoples specifically and citizens of the world generally. While we would like to publish The Bronzevillian on a regular basis, doing so would be cost prohibitive. Hence, the reason for The Bronzevillian Supplement, a handsome and sorely needed addition to The Bronzevillian; and one that will enable the CEC’s staff to inform the populace not only about the goings-on at the CEC, but about matters that merit both timely exposure and discussion.

Phone: (614) 292-3922 Fax: (614) 292-3892

http://aaascec.osu.edu aaascec@osu.edu

Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413

O f Black historians Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the second African American to earn a PhD at Harvard University, is perhaps the most

widely recognized name among this generation of young Black college and non-college goers. His book The Mis-Education of the Negro is as popular today, perhaps even more so, that it was eighty years ago when it was initially published. I submit that no text written by a Black scholar over the past one hundred years (save for Cornel West’s Race Matters) has been made more accessible to the wider Black community than this particular polemic. On occasion artists, athletes, educators and other commentators will reference it when describing modern day affairs both here and abroad. Lauryn Hill was so taken with the work that a modified version of its title is emblazoned across her 1998 debut solo album.

The prose in which The Mis-Education of the Negro is written; to say nothing of the message contained therein is devoid of the jargon commonly associated with academic authors. From 1915 to 1942 Woodson published twenty two books, nearly all of which were more intellectually rigorous than The Mis-Education of the Negro, but none more incisive and poignant. Having said that, his 1916

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Carter G. Woodson, The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and the making of Black

History Month

A newsletter from the Department of African American and African Studies

Community Extension Center

February 2013

the Bronzevillian the Bronzevillian SupplementSupplement

An electronic newsletter from the African American and African Studies

Community Extension Center

Why the Supplement?

12 Core Programs of the CEC 2 the Bronzevillian Supplement the Bronzevillian Supplement February 2013

About Bronzeville

During the 1930s, African-American leaders in Columbus named the predom-

inately African-American neighborhood between the boundaries of Woodland

Avenue (East), Cleveland Avenue (West), Broad Street (South) and the railroad tracks (North) “Bronzeville.” The population was approximately 70,000 residents. In 1936, the same African-American leaders elected a

mayor of Bronzeville and created an eight member Cabinet to

address social, political and economic issues in the neighborhood.

Now, as a result of the establishment of several Neighborhood Civic Associations

such as the Woodland Civic Associa-tion (East) and the Discovery District (West), Bronzeville was reduced to its

current boundaries: Taylor Avenue (East), Jefferson Avenue (West), Broad

Street (South), and I-670 (North).

The Bronzevillian is inspired by this rich history.

CEC Advisory Board

Paul Cook Wanda Dillard

Francisca Figueroa-Jackson Mark S. Froehlich

Ray Miller, Former State Senator Lupenga Mphande, Ph.D.

William E. Nelson, Jr., Ph.D. *Ike Newsum, Ph.D. and Chair

Rick Pfeiffer, City Attorney Thomas Simpson, Ph.D.

Reita Smith Charleta Tavares, State Senator

Nana Watson

CEC Director

*Judson L. Jeffries, Ph.D.

CEC Staff

Sarah Twitty Senior Program Coordinator & Fiscal

Officer

Kevin L. Brooks, Ph.D. Program Coordinator

Alecia Shipe Technology Program Coordinator

Address

Department of African American and African Studies

Community Extension Center 905 Mount Vernon Avenue

Columbus, Ohio 43203-1413

*Ex officio members.

T he Ohio State University’s AAAS Community Extension Center is the outreach component of

the Department of African American and African Studies. The CEC is one of the few off-campus facili-ties of its kind in the nation. Originally housed at two different locations on Ohio Avenue, the CEC moved to its current location in 1986. The CEC plays an integral role in enhancing the life chances of those who live in and around the Mount Vernon Avenue Area. Toward that end, the CEC offers an array of pro-grams at no or nominal cost to the public. Programs include, but are not limited to, the following: confer-ences, symposia, computer classes, credit and non-credit courses, summer programs, lecture series, and film series. People from all walks of life have partici-pated in these programs. Based on evaluations of our programs and per-sonal testimonies, the CEC is having an impact on residents living in and around the Bronzeville Neigh-borhood.

1 Black Veterans Day Salute During the salute, Black men and women from Ohio who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces are publicly recog-nized. Since the salute’s inception in 2006, the CEC has honored the Tuskegee Airmen (2006), Vietnam War veter-ans (2007), Korean War veterans (2008), African-American servicewomen (2009), World War II veterans (2010), Gulf War Era veterans (2011) and Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans (2012).

2 Ray Miller Institute for Change & Leadership This 10-week long leadership course trains young Black professionals from the Columbus community in various areas of leadership. The Institute was founded in 2006 by former State Senator and Minority Whip Ray Miller. Miller has built a reputation as a strong advocate for those who have historically not had access to power. Admission to the Institute is highly competitive. The Institute is offered during OSU’s autumn and spring semesters with the support of OSU’s Office of Continuing Education. Participants who complete the course receive three CEU credits.

3 Senior Citizens Movie Matinee The movie matinee is a chance for senior citizens to watch a film that otherwise might be cost prohibitive in an accommo-dating environment. A discussion, usually led by an OSU professor or administrator, is held at the end of the film.

4 Computer Literacy Program Throughout the academic year, the CEC offers free and reduced-cost computer technology courses. The program is geared toward seniors but open to everyone. Courses in-clude the following: Senior Computer Orientation, Internet, Email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.

5 Lecture Series Presentations given by OSU faculty, students and/or com-munity members about topics pertinent to the Black commu-nity.

6 Math and Science Program The Math and Science Program was established in partnership with the OSU Medical Center in 2003. The Math and Science Program exposes students in grades 4 through 12 to the won-ders of math and science using hands-on activities. The pur-pose of the program is three-fold: 1) To increase competency in math and science among students of color; 2) To expose stu-dents of color to math and science related careers; and 3) To encourage students of color to major in math or science. The program meets on the fourth Monday of each month from Octo-ber to May.

7 Summer Residential Program The Summer Residential Program (SRP) was established in 1999 and is designed to provide students with both an apprecia-tion for and an understanding of African-American and African culture and history. The SRP also helps students strengthen their computer literacy skills. Past themes include: “The Under-ground Railroad” (2012), “All Eyez On Me: Deconstructing Imag-es of African-American Women in Hip Hop” (2011), “letz b down: Social Justice Advocacy for Blacks During the American Revolutionary War Era” (2010), “The Low Country: Black Cul-ture, Literacy and History in Charleston, South Carolina” (2009), and “Hip Hop Literacies” (2008). The program is held every June and is for rising 11th and 12th graders. Students live on OSU’s campus.

8 African Affairs Symposium This one-day symposium brings members of the African Ameri-can and African communities together to discuss issues of particular interest to Africa. The inaugural symposium in 2007 examined the life of South African civil rights activist Steve Biko. “Africa in the Age of Globalization” was the theme of the 2008 symposium. The 2009 symposium examined the life of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, West Africa. In 2010, the focus was on Pan-Africanism and the Diaspora. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the theme of the 2011 symposium.

9 Summer Enrichment Program This week-long, non-residential day program is designed to help rising 9th and 10th graders improve their reading and writing skills. The program, which was founded in 2009, is hosted annu-ally in June and accepts approximately 15 students.

10 History of Black Columbus Conference This one-day conference celebrates the rich history of African Americans in Columbus and increases awareness of the signifi-cant contributions African Americans have made in all areas of city life. This annual conference is held in the spring.

11 Black History Month Forum The forum is in its third year and is focused on celebrating Afri-can descended peoples from all over the world. Last year, docu-mentaries about the following four influential Black historical figures were shown: Toussaint L’ouverture, Julius Nyerere, Ella Baker, and Marcus Garvey.

12 Enemies of the State The annual event features activists from America’s most notori-ous radical organizations, people who pressured America to live up to its highest ideals. In past years, activists from The Us Organization (2012), The Black Panther Party (2011) and the Young Lords Organization (2010) were invited to speak.

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By: Kevin L. Brooks, PhD

W hen the president was reelected for a second time in November 2012, I immediately began

making plans to attend the inauguration. As I made the four hundred mile trip to Washington DC by car from Columbus, Ohio, I did so with great anticipation. I missed out on the first inauguration as I was too busy trying to complete my doctorate at Purdue University; not to mention the drive from West Lafayette, Indiana to Chocolate City is considerably longer than from Columbus to DC. Nevertheless, as I was driving, a myriad of thoughts crossed my mind: Would it be as well attended as I had heard it was in 2009? Would celebrities be in attendance? Would the atmosphere be electric? Would the weather hold up? The answer to all those questions: yes, yes, yes and yes.

Hundreds of thousands of people turned out on the mall, or so it

appeared. I could tell based on the paraphernalia that people wore or carried and the manner in which some people dressed that a number of groups were represented including some from the faith community, education, labor and others. I overheard two attendees say that they had come all the way from California. There was vibrancy in the air that people were overly hospitable, even for a southern city. The temperature hovered in the thirties, but it was a warm-cold in the way that Arizona is a dry-heat. People were bundled up in hats, top coats, gloves and scarves, but the camaraderie that enveloped the event made the cold barely noticeable. People were smiling, they were laughing while some were telling stories about the previous inauguration. Dick Gregory, the longtime comedian/activist, and I exchanged pleasantries.

Two people on the program stood out to me. Myrlie Evers-

Williams, wife of slain civil rights icon Medgar Evers and former chairwom-an of the NAACP’s board of directors, made some poignant remarks. Evers-Williams, in my opinion, has long been underrated as a civil rights activist, but when she speaks her words resonate. Then there was Beyoncé, who gave a captivating rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, that is, in my opinion, second only to Whitney Houston’s 1991 version in Super Bowl XXV in Tampa.

Later, after the inauguration had ended, I reflected on the day and

concluded that the 2012 reelection of President Obama may have been more significant than his 2008 election. In many ways, the reelection of Obama was the American people’s way of validating his presidency. Most analysts predicted a photo-finish race, with one or the other candidate winning by a hair. The result: Obama won by a mini landslide in the Electoral College in spite of the economic challenges that the country has been facing for several years now. For some cynics, his 2008 election, while historic, could be cast off as a fluke. In other words, Obama caught lightening in a bottle. The same can’t be said for his reelection, however. In an era where voters are quick to toss out incumbents during times of economic stress and international volatility, the American people elected to extend the president’s contract.

That night as I basked in the aftermath of the president’s second

inauguration, these words rang in my ears: “I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promise land.” That the inauguration occurred on the observance of MLK Day was indeed befitting.

Witnessing History: Obama’s Second Inauguration

journal article The Beginnings of the Miscegenation of the Whites and Blacks is also a must read.

As celebrated as Woodson has become over the years, his standing as an institution builder and human rights activist sometimes goes under-acknowledged. He founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (later the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History), which included an annual academic convention as well as the Journal of Negro History. These creations afforded Black scholars, academics and activists a venue in which to present their papers and publish their scholarly articles that may have otherwise lay in obscurity. Few of the White academic associations such as the American Historical Association or the American Political Science Association was likely to extend an invitation to Black scholars whose work documented the accomplishments of Black people through-out the world.

No African American is more responsible for the promotion of Black history, then or now, than Woodson. His no-nonsense demeanor, willingness to mentor, relentless work ethic and high expectations are well-documented. In 1984, in honor of the scholar-activist, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Woodson stamp as part of its Black Heritage Series. In 2001, the Carter G. Woodson House was placed on the National Trust for Historical Preservation list of Most Endangered Places in the U.S.

Woodson is considered the Father of Black History and is credited with being the founder of Negro History Week, which later became Black History Month. In Dusk of Dawn, published in 1940, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois proclaimed Negro History Week as the greatest single accomplishment to emerge from the Black artistic movement of the 1920s. Historian Rayford Logan commented that Negro History Week helped Blacks overcome their inferiority complex and instilled in them tremendous racial pride.

The accolades that Woodson received from his contemporaries over the years, have to some extent, overshadowed the true history of Negro History Week and may have inadvertently resulted in a bit of revisionist history. Woodson is the Father of Black History, but he is not the “founder” of Negro History Week per se. That distinction, technically, belongs to The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (see Herman Dreer, The History of Omega

Psi Phi Fraternity, 1911 to 1939. Washington, DC, 1940).

Early in the fraternity’s history a meeting was convened to discuss the Fraternity’s “field of emphasis” as it were. At this meeting sat several Omega luminaries including the revered Colonel Charles Young, a West Point graduate, Garnet C. Wilkinson , Woodson and John H. Burnell who actually suggested a program that stressed Negro history. Burnell admitted that the idea came to him upon hearing a stirring address delivered by Woodson, at the Fraternity’s Ninth Annual Conclave held in 1920 in an auditorium at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Woodson was at the time, Dean of West Virginia Institute. In his remarks Woodson “urged the college man to give less attention to social affairs and devote more time to the study of Negro life . . . such knowledge he maintained,

would produce an increase in the number of competent Negro leaders and would inspire race pride in the masses as a whole.” Suffice to say Burnell’s recommendation was “instantly approved”; hence in 1921 The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. initiated a program called Negro History and Literature Week to be held in April of every year. The program was hugely popular on Black college campuses across America. When Woodson completed his deanship at West Virginia Institute the Fraternity placed the program under his guidance. As its director, Woodson believed he could capitalize on the intellectual and artistic furor that surrounded the Harlem Renaissance. In 1925, with the fraternity’s blessing, Woodson modified the name from Negro History and Literature Week to Negro History Week. He then switched the celebratory month from April to February to commemorate the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Today, Black History Month (as it has grown into since the late 1970s) is celebrated by millions of people around the world. To be sure,

Woodson deserves credit for taking what began as Negro History and Literature Week; and under the purview of The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. transformed it into an internationally recognized phenomenon. This is a history--that while may not be widely known-- is nevertheless well chronicled in the annals of Omega lore.

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Carter G. Woodson and the making of Black History Month cont.

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Upcoming Event

The Black History Month Challenge fits nicely with our mission to increase awareness and heighten consciousness. The Challenge is not neces-sarily designed to assess your knowledge of Black history, but instead should be used as a tool for further inquiry and study. Those who are well-versed in the subject matter will do well; those who are not may find the Challenge a bit more difficult. However, the blame is not yours but largely society’s, most people cannot be expected to know what they have not been taught. However, as we move forward into the 21st century it is important that we develop an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Hence, we have to be seekers of truth, excavators of history and detectives of the Black experience. It is our hope that this instructional tool will help cultivate such a mindset.

1) She is the first woman to serve in the Ohio state legislature from Franklin County; the first Black woman to hold a leadership position in the General As-sembly and the first Black female Democrat to be elected to the 15th Senatorial District. Who is she?

a) Jennette Bradley b) Joyce Beatty c) Charleta Tavares

2) Who was the first Black to serve as governor of an American state?

a) Hiram Revels b) Frederick Douglass c) P.B.S. Pinchback

3) What constitutional amendment extended Black males the right to vote?

a) the fifteenth b) the fourteenth c) the thirteenth

4) This person is the first Black to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Who is he?

a) Ralph Bunche b) Albert Luthuli c) Desmond Tutu

5) In 1800, ______________, a slave in Henrico County, Virginia, organized his fellow comrades in an attempt to overthrow slavery and set up a black state. The plot was divulged to city authorities by two of this person’s followers, and together with thirty of his conspirators, was executed.

a) Gabriel Prosser b) Denmark Vesey c) Nat Turner

6) This person argued that racial equality was an impossible realization, and advocated the wholesale emigration of Blacks to East Africa. In his best-known work, The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States (1852), he declared of American Blacks: “We are a nation within a nation: as Poles in Russia, the Hungarians in Austria, the Welsh, Irish and Scotch in the British Dominions.”

a) Frederick Douglass b) Martin R. Delany c) Kunta Kinte

7) The first Civil Rights Act was passed in what year?

a) 1964 b) 1875 c) 1866

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Black History Month Challenge

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8) The first Black newspaper was founded in 1827. What was it called?

a) The Negro World b) Freedom’s Journal c) The Afro-American

9) Born in Maryland in 1817, this person is considered by many to be the 19th century’s greatest American abolitionist.

a) Frederick Douglass b) Booker T. Washington c) Sojourner Truth

10) In 1880, this woman spearheaded the effort to create the Colored Women’s Progressive Association. The group’s goal was to “assert equal right for women, including that of suffrage.” With the franchise, this person believed, women would be empowered to help youth, extend the breadth of women’s occupations, and more effectively agitate for “independence of thought and action.”

a) Mary Ann Shadd Cary b) Maxine Waters c) Harriet Tubman

11) This person was recently appointed to the United States Senate, becoming only the fifth Black to occupy a seat in Congress’ upper chamber since Re-construction. Who is he?

a) Tim Smith b) Tim Scott c) Tim Raines

12) This woman is considered “the Moses of her People.” She once said that she helped many slaves escape to freedom, but that she could have helped more had they known they were slaves.

a) Ida B. Wells Barnett b) Anna Julia Cooper c) Harriet Tubman

13) Born in Mississippi in 1862, this woman was a relentless anti-lynching crusader who conducted one of the most extensive investigations on lynching in America. She dispelled the myth that most Black men were lynched because they had raped white women. Instead, she found that most Black men were lynched because they were proud, unyielding Black men who were considered uppity by their white counterparts. Her work, titled the Red Record, is consid-ered the first serious study of Black lynchings in the world.

a) Ida B. Wells Barnett b) Mary McLeod Bethune c) Anna Julia Cooper

14) The first Black to serve on the Columbus City Council is

a) Rev. James P. Poindexter b) James A. Greenwood c) James A. Roseboro

15) The first African American boxer from Columbus, Ohio to become a champion in any weight class in professional boxing is

a) James Buster Douglas b) Bill Roy c) James Hilmer Kenty

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16) This person is the first African American to win Wimbledon

a) Arthur Ashe b) Althea Gibson c) Ora Washington

17) This person won 9 out of the 10 cases she argued before the U.S. Supreme Court including James Meredith’s successful suit to attend the University of Mississippi, becoming the first Black to do so. As the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund’s Associate Counsel she also helped write the briefs for the 1954 landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Who is she?

a) Elaine Jones b) Barbara Jordan c) Constance Baker Motley

18) This person joined a major league baseball team in the summer of 1947, becoming only the second African American player in major league baseball. Who is he?

a) Larry Doby b) Monte Irvin c) Satchel Paige

19) The only university in the state of Ohio to offer a PhD in African American and African Studies is

a) Case Western Reserve University b) The Ohio State University c) Ohio University

20) She was elected mayor of Urbancrest, Ohio in 1971, thus becoming the first Black woman to be elected mayor of U.S. city.

a) Ellen Watkins Craig-King b) Helen Joiner c) Bertha Maxwell-Hunter

Quiz Answers: 1) c 2) c 3) a 4) b 5) a 6) b 7) c 8) b 9) a 10) a 11) b 12) c 13) a 14) a 15) c 16) b 17) c 18) a 19) b 20) a

Black History Month Challenge Cont.

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Upcoming Event

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