Well, if Battleship gets to have a movie…
Piedra, papel o tijera ya salio…
(Source: memehermetica)
Today marks the passing of Ivan Van Sertima on May 25th 2009.
“We have come to reclaim the house of history. We are dedicated to the revision of the role of the African in the world’s great civilizations, the contribution of Africa to the achievement of man in the arts and sciences. We shall emphasize what Africa has given to the world, not what it has lost.”
With absolute certainty it can stated that, due to his consistent and unrelenting scholarship during his lifetime in the rewriting of African history and the reconstruction of the African’s place in world history, particularly in the field of the African presence in ancient America, Ivan Van Sertima has cemented his position as one of our greatest scholars. He has was one of the scholars at the forefront of fighting to place African history in a new light. Simply put, Van Sertima’s clarion call has been: “We shall follow the trail of the African in Europe, in Asia, and in every corner of the New World, seeking to set the record straight.
Ivan Van Sertima dared theorize ancient Egyptians were black and Africans reached America before Europeans did. To many, those simple assertions were radical splendid notions.However they were notions that went on to inspire a generation of scholars.
Ivan Van Sertima, a Highland Park resident taught at Rutgers University’s Africana Studies department for more than 30 years, died May 25 2009 of natural causes. He was 74.
During his life, the crusader of African culture wrote 15 books, lectured at more than 100 universities, and spoke before Congress about his theories of pre-Columbian America.
An expert on African authors, he served on the Nobel Prize committee from 1976 to 1980 to nominate candidates for the literature prize. During that period, he also founded the Journal of African Civilization, in 1979.
His best-seller, “They Came Before Columbus” (1977), is now in its 29th edition. Critics said his theories were thin on facts, but supporters said his presentation of history was as rooted in fact as mainstream versions of history.
Clement Price, professor of history and director of the Rutgers Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and the Modern Experience, called the book seminal.
“It dared to challenge one of the largest mythologies of Western civilization: Africans’ incapability to make contributions in the area of science, discovery, global migration,” he said.
The book inspired Africa scholars worldwide, people “who wanted to know what smart black scholars (were) thinking about,” Price said. “It’s the book on everybody’s bookshelf.”
Rutgers history professor Norman Markowitz said mainstream historians are “rewarded and praised, not challenged, because what they say is what those with wealth and power want to hear — which one could never say about Ivan.”
Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize-winning fiction writer, who was the editor at Random House in the 1970s who insisted the company print “They Came Before Columbus,” Price said. ‘Van Sertima, defended his ideas before the Smithsonian Institution in 1994.’
We dare you to become great men and women like Dr Sertima, We dare you to continue his work, empower yourself and inspire generations to come.
Actual poster from the mid-50s issued by Senator Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Red Scare and anti communist witch hunt in Washington. All artists were suspect.
(Source: chrisbattleart)
Happy Birthday Malcolm X
On this day, May 19th, 1925, Malcolm X was born. Where would humanity be without such men and women with valour, courage and nobility fighting for equality and justice. Arguably one of the most misrepresented and misunderstood men in history, that’s why he is as widely taught about or spoken of in the mainstream in comparison to others. I’d encourage anyone to read more on this man to understand the dynamics of this world and how it came to be this way.
