Friday, December 21, 2012

Black History Books Provide Pertinent Perspectives

By Brandi Little


New Black history books are constantly being published as the interest and awareness for this content continues to grow. They are being translated into many different languages so that readers in other cultures can also access this important information. The acquisition of knowledge has always proven to be powerful in breaking down preconceived barriers and paving the way for a more peaceful world.

A two fold approach has been created for readers as an alternative to the incomplete traditional approach. This reminds the readers that racial oppression has indeed been inflicted on races in the past. This fact has often been omitted from the history books and is addressed by the addition of the binary approach to history.

Young children as well as adults benefit from reading the content of these new arrivals on the bookshelves. For the youngsters storytelling is a fun way of learning new content. Stories are illustrated to enhance the message within and when presented by an engaging storyteller, the stories seem to come to life as well.

All age groups enjoy storytelling so this approach is not uniquely targeted to the very young. It is important to remember however, that first impressions are captured and maintained by young minds who will find it more difficult to change them later on in life. The exposure to a fuller body of information allows the reader to develop invaluable insights on how the process of developing prejudices stems from a breakdown in communication.

People of African descent have contributed in many different ways. They have influenced the world of sports, politics, entertainment and many other domains that exist today. Those who have made their achievements under challenging circumstances such as slavery are considered to be particularly noteworthy and should not be forgotten.

These contributions reverberate in European countries as well as North America. The scope of this can be more easily imagined through the content books have to offer. For too many years this information was simply not included in the traditional approach to writing history books.

Today for example, there are interesting books on the stories of African athletes who have established world records in sports. Certain African countries actually dominate Olympic events. It is a fact that participants in long distance running who are of African origin have maintained the world record for many decades. In the US, the majority of professional basketball players is Black and has become the role models for many children and adults.

Many new musical genres have also been attributed to African Black American musicians. Motown, Jazz and Negro Spirituals continue to be popular with the names of such legendary performers as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald permanently accepted into the halls of musical fame. These and many more are celebrated around the world for their talented contribution to music.

One of the positive aspects of historical facts is their ability to replace the stereotypes and misconceptions that have arisen due to the lack of information. This lack causes misinformation that poorly informed individuals will use as a basis to evaluate the value of Blacks. These blatant gaps are often the cause of misunderstanding and can result in severe repercussions such as revolt and death.

The Black history books that are being published today provide a better awareness for the readers. There are dozens of translations of the content available.This helps to reduce the cause of misunderstanding and helps to nurture a better sense of understanding our differences.




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