Читать книгу The Book of Awesome Black Americans - Monique Jones - Страница 8

Introduction

Black history. It’s a topic the country revisits every February. But Black history means more than just a cursory look at Black notables during Black History Month. Black History is part of American history. It’s important all year round—every second of every day.

The Book of Awesome Black Americans is a look at some of the people who have made this country—and the world—greater by defying the odds, pushing through adversity, and paving a path for others to follow. This book is also a reflection of my own childhood, which was spent researching and reading about Black leaders, inventors, and innovators who shaped how I viewed myself and my place in the world. While this book is just a pittance of the debt they’re owed, I hope that it serves as my recognition for the incredible lives they’ve lived.

There are some things we need to get out of the way before we dive headfirst into this book together. Most of us already know about Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and the like. Indeed, a few folks we always learn about will be included here. But this book is largely dedicated toward those faces and stories we don’t see or hear about a lot in the mainstream. This includes LGBTQ+ voices and the voices of people who lived in a time when their stories were considered unimportant. This includes individuals who predate the African American experience, such as the African nobles who are the genesis of African American history. This also includes everyday people past and present who have worked behind the scenes to make our lives, and our futures, better and brighter; they might have gotten accolades for their work, but, if you met them on the street, you probably wouldn’t recognize them. Those are the individuals this book is highlighting.

Another thing to note is that I use “Black American” in two different ways in the book. The first way is to discuss African American people, people who are descended from African slaves brought to America. The second way is to write about people from the diaspora who are of African descent but are American citizens. This is because there are some people in the book who might not be descendants of slaves in the United States, but they are, indeed, American citizens of an African background.

I hope that you, the reader, have fun with this book. As a child who loved learning, I was entranced by Africana, an encyclopedia set comprised solely of Black American accomplishments, historical dates, and facts written by W.E.B. DuBois and later edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Kwame Anthony Appiah. Through Africana, which I read when it was in its website form, I was transported through time and learned so much about my own African American history. Of course, the book you’re reading now isn’t an encyclopedia. Still, my wish is that it engenders the same type of curiosity and love for learning as Africana did for me. I hope that you are inspired to learn more about the people highlighted in this book. I want it to inspire you to go on your own personal, enlightening journey.

(Also, you’ll hear a lot about Alabama in this book, since that’s where I’m from!)

I hope this book accomplishes its goal of showcasing how vast Black history actually is, particularly Black American history. We live in it every day, whether we realize it or not. It’s time to start showing honor to those who have provided us with so much. One of the best ways to do that is to start learning about their impact on our lives.