blog 2

As I analyze this piece written entitled Nigger written by Dick Gregory I cannot help but being reminded of the struggle that African Americans went through in order to secure a future for the next generation of people. There is one particular line that is mentioned here I want to focus on, and that line is found on page 597 where Gregory states that “I had made speeches that every door of racial prejudice I can kick down is one less door that my children have to kick down. But my kids don’t have to worry.” I have often heard that my generation of blacks does not appreciate the opportunities that we as blacks have now that those who fought and struggled and went to prison for did not have. Often times our generation forgets but reading this quote is truly beautiful, because we do have more opportunities now than before. These people who struggled to kick these doors down have indeed gave us in my generation one less door to kick down. I also found this other point found on page 593 interesting as well in which Gregory describes this gentlemen that changed his life around as the type of African American that every other Negro in America would look down upon. When I read that I said that is so true, because even within the black community the darker you are the more likely you will be talked about and looked upon negatively. Perhaps blacks have been conditioned to reason that way due to the propaganda of cartoons and television but again the point is this was a man who fought for freedom as Gregory points out. I am thankful for reading this article because being black; this is a reminder and an appreciation of the number of doors that have been kicked down so that my generation of blacks has fewer doors to kick down.

blog 1

This piece concerning the Truth About the First Thanksgiving is important because as the author mentions in the beginning of his article when he asked his students when the United States was first settled (67). The answer that the author received was not surprising because many would tend to agree that the United States was formed once the Europeans arrived, however, it is important that all of us in the United States know and understand that people were here in America well before the Europeans. Most people view America through a narrow lens of ethnocentrism thus the need for articles such as that found here. In both elementary and high school we are all taught that the pilgrims were great, the Native Americans were all savage, uncivilized cultures, yet how many knew that Native cultures had limited exposure to disease because their hygiene habits were far superior to that of the pilgrims (70). Another point of interest is how the author dispels the legend of Squanto by describing exactly what he went through, how he learned English, and ultimately why he helped the pilgrims (83). There are a number of books out there that tells the other side of American history but there is one book that I particularly enjoy and the title of the book is called Portrait of America. This book gives the biography of famous people such as Christopher Columbus and our “Founding Fathers” and it describes in detail the other side of these people which we may have not heard about in our high school history classes. This is why articles such as this one is important because it tells both sides of American history and it should help all students and citizens to appreciate that if not for the Native Americans, who died of the European diseases, that America would be a much different country today.