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Black History Has Buns Of Steel And Abs Of Iron
SYP . M c K inley
na/ Dam«
B y P l*D
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B urt
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W h ile we r e g re t th a t n o t all o f
th e g l o r io u s c o n t r i b u t i o n s to
w o rld c u ltu re and te c h n o lo g y w as
w ritte n in sto n e , e n o u g h h a s s u r
v iv e d th e ra s c a lity o f frig h te n e d
a c a d e m ic ia n s a n d r a c is ts to c h a rt
th e p a th to a tru e h is to ric a l p e r
s p e c tiv e o f m a n k in d ’s d e v e lo p
m e n t.
A case in point is the account
(revelations) I introduced last week;
a descrip tio n o f a m ille n n iu m s -
lo n g in v o lv e m e n t o f th e b la ck
ra c e s w ith the w o rk in g o f iro n
a n d s te e l. I s u p p o s e th a t as a
te e n a g e r, w o rk in g a f te r sc h o o l in
fo u n d rie s like the “St. Louis Car and
Foundry Com pany,” I thought the in
volvement o f h u n d re d s o f th o u
sa n d s o f s k ille d black w orkers in
the iron and steel w orks o f A m erica
Vancouver
Eyes Traffic
Troubles
T he L in c o ln N e ig h b o rh o o d
A ss o c ia tio n is w o rk in g w ith
V a n c o u v e r ’s T r a n s p o r ta tio n
D iv isio n to d e v e lo p a tra ffic
p lan w h ich a d d re s s e s p e d e s
tria n an d tra ffic s a fe ty , s p e e d
ing an d c u ,- tro u g h tra ffic on
n e ig h b o rh o o d stre e ts .
The neighborhood association
will circulate a petition to verify
that a m ajority o f the residents are
fam iliar with the plan. People who
*-■
was either a m atter o f cultural prefer
ence -- or genetic (sm iles).
By 1948, 1 had gained som e d e
gree o f enlightenm ent, a tim e which
found me w orking at “chipping out
m olds” at N orth P o rtlan d ’s “A m eri
can B rakeshoe F oundry" w hile at
tending N orthw estern Law School
three nights a week. But 1 had not yet
gained access to that level o f d o cu
m entation w hich, last week, perm it
ted m e to shock som e readers by
docum enting that there w ere many
“Iron plantations” as well as the co t
ton ftefdom s o f A m erican Slavery.
A nd w hat a difference several d e
cades have made. Now, we may see
in both academ ic jo u rn als o f science
or a rc h a e o lo g y -o r in popular sc i
en c e m a g a z in e s like “ S cie n tific
A m erican”-p h o to g ra p h s and illus
trations o f m odern researchers in
sign the petition will get a post
card to send com m ents on the
plan to the transportation d iv i
sion.
A fter residents have signed the
petition, a m eeting will be set to
discuss the com m ents and refine
the plan. City sta ff will meet with
residents to select a preferred al
ternative. A fter choosing an al
ternative, the plan goes to city
council for approval.
In te re s te d re s id e n ts can
re a c h
th e
L in c o ln
N e ig h b o r h o o d ’s c o n ta c t p e r
son c o - c h a ir P a tty M e sse n g e r
at 6 9 5 -3 1 5 7 , o r city tr a ffic
e n g in e e r Jo h n M a n ix at 6 9 6 -
8290.
N igeria, sitting around replica o f
ancient forges they have excavated.
In the fashion o f the ancient A frican
technicians who built them, we find
scientists from Yale and other uni
versities sitting around conical ch ar
coal forges in circles o f eight to
tw elve-pum pingeighl-foot long bel
lows that raised forge tem peratures
high enough to work steel.
So it is no hashish dream that
prom pted European explorers as early
as the I Ith and 12th centuries to
return from A frica with exciting sto
ries and illustrations o f black w ar
riors in supple arm or who rode fiery
steeds w ho were sim ilarly protected.
O f course, when centuries later these
dusk warriors (Shakespeare’s M oors)
invaded Europe, charged through
Spain and were only stopped half
way through France, it became obvi
ous even to a fool that these people
were neither dum b nor inferior.
W hile European historians will
m ention that there were no “dark
haired” peoples found in Europe prior
to the invasions o f the A frican M oors
(M assey, W ells, et al), A m erican his
torians have no desire to lose aca
dem ic tenure or to fall out o f good
graces o f m ajor publishers. T hose o f
us who are not restricted by the racist
protocols o f many schools and m edia
are free to read and study the texts
and photographs o f such dedicated
re se a rc h e rs as th e ren o w n J.A .
Rogers; perhaps the greatest o f early
A frican A m erican historians who
traveled all the world to docum ent
black history (including the Vatican
Library and m ajor museums and li
braries in Europe, A sia and Africa:
See “Sex And Race, V ols I&H” &
"W o rld ’s G reat M en o f Color, Vols
I& II”, and many others).
. Here you will find photographs o f
the works o f the w orld’s most re
nown E uropean artists; true depic
tions o f the real role o f blacks in
world history: A fricans in all the
family trees o f the royal houses o f
Europe, je t black, w ooly-headed St.
Maurice, patron Saint o f France (who
turned back the A frican M oors be
fore all o f France becam e ‘cullud
folks’—or did they?), Many repro
ductions o f the ‘C oat o f A rm s’ of
today's prestigious families o f E n
gland, Norw ay, Sweden, G erm any
or France, and take a good look al
e a rly , u n re to u c h e d p o r tra its o f
Beethoven and o f A udubon who was
born in Santo D om ingo (The “D o
minican R epublic” where all those
great black baseball players com e
from). A udubon is the spitting image
o f D avid Ju stic e o f the A tlan ta
B ra v e s-o r is it the other way around?
Speaking o f “Iron and Steel” be
sure to get a copy o f this m o n th 's
“N atural History M agazine", Feb.
1996, Vol. 105, no 2. A lthough the
article I w ant you to read is titled
"K ingdom o f G old" and centers upon
much ofthe cultural history o f Ghana,
A frica (e a rly slavery and the 'G olden
S tool’) there is a simply fabulous
account o f A frican technical ability
in w orking with m achinery. A ban
doned autos, trucks, farm equipm ent,
etc. is recycled into many sophisti
cated “new ” vehicles, industrial m a
chinery, farm equipm ent, food pro
cessors and the like. No engineers or
European S u p erv iso rs-are they try
ing to tell us som ething? My “ Black
Inventors” show ed sam e ability.
Vessels, Steens Host Cookbook Writers
L< x.al cookbi xik authors are featured at
events jointly sponsored by Vessels and
Sleen.sCoffeeHou.se during BlackHistoiy
Month.
Saturday, Maxine Jackson Blacknall,
author o f‘The Heart & Soul of Maxine’s
Cuisine," will he on hand for a btxik
signing, as well as have samples of her
recipes to taste.
A first-time author, Blacknall published
her ctxikbtxak last summer as a result of a
cooking class and contest She entered the
contest after participating in a special class
offered by the American Cancer Society
and the National Black Leadership Initia
tive on Cancer.
Blacknall has modified and created
new soul food recipes low in fat and
cholesterol Blacknall Ls determined to
help change the way we cook and eat for a
healthier heart.
Blacknall will be available Satunlay,
from ntxrn to 2 pm . at Steen’s, 2603 N.E.
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Vessels,
New & used books on
Business, Music, &
African-American Studies
i
M
c
r
d ?
Tableware With Meaning, 2605 N E.
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Feb. 24, from 11:30 am . to 1:30 p.m.
Grace Kutn will talk about her book,
‘ Haram bee! African Family Circle Cook
book.” The Kenya native offers over 30
authentic recipes reflecting the cuisine of
different ethnic gnxrps in east Africa
/ / v z z / z / z z
- J z z /z z /z
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