关于黑人的十大不合理传说.docx
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关于黑人的十大不合理传说.docx
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关于黑人的十大不合理传说
The10BiggestMythsAboutBlackHistory
ByLeroneBennettJr.
Yourcountry?
Howcameityours?
BeforethePilgrimslandedwewerehere.Herewehavebroughtourthreegiftsandmingledthemwithyours:
agiftofstoryandsong...inanill-harmonizedandunmelodiousland;thegiftofsweatandbrawntobeatbackthewilderness...andlaythefoundationsofthevasteconomicempiretwohundredyearsearlierthanyourweakhandscouldhavedoneit;thethird,agiftoftheSpirit.—W.E.B.DuBois
Theycameoutofthesun;bringingwiththemthegiftofthesun.
Founderswithoutheralds,benefactorswithoutbanners,theytransformedthenewland,creatingthefoundationsofthewealthandgivingitanewmusicandanewspirit.
Theforgottenfoundingfathersandmothers,theancestorsofcontemporaryBlacks,didallthisinthefaceofobstaclesandproscriptionsthatwouldhavedestroyedalesserpeople.Byallodds,theyshouldhavebeendestroyedphysicallyandspiritually,ontheslaveshipsandplantations.Buttheyweresotoughthatnothing—neitherslavery,norsegregation,nordiscrimination—coulddestroythem.Theycameupfromslavery,upfromsegregation,upfromfire,blood,pestilenceandpain.Andbysomemysterynohistoriancantrulyfathom,theynotonlyenduredbutprevailed,leavingbehindimperishabletestimonyontheindomitabletenacityofhumanspirit.
Thestoryoftheirtransplantationandtransformationandsurvivalisthestoryofoneofthegreatestflightsofthehumanspiritinrecordedhistory.ButthatstoryhasbeendistortedandpushedintostrangeshapesbyamassivepropagandacampaignbasedonpowermythsthathideBlackpeoplefromthemselvesandtheirgreatness.Thesemyths—definedhereasstories,belief,andnotioncommonlyheldtobetruebutwithoutfactualbasis—informalmostallpopulardiscussionsonBlackhistory.Propagateddayinanddayoutbyalmostallmediaandpassedonfromgenerationtogenerationintheculturalbloodstream,themythsaffectthedreaming,desiringandactingofbothBlackandWhiteAmericans.AndalthoughthemythswerefosteredoriginallyasameansofcontroltodiscreditBlacksandtoassuagetheconscienceofracists,theyarereportedbysomeBlackswhohavebeennegativelyconditionedbythepopularhistorytaughtinnurseries,movies,barsandtoomanyclassrooms.Asaconsequence,millionsofBlackandWhiteAmericasactonimagesandmythswhicharegrosslyexaggeratedorhavenobasisinfact.Themythsaremanyandvaried,buttheyaregenerallyorganizedaroundtendominantnotions.
1TheMythofTarzanandtheBlackVoid
TheimageofTarzan,whetheraccompaniedbyMaureenO’SullivanorBoDerek,istheorganizingfocusofarecurringfantasybasedonthemythsof“theprimitiveAfrican”and“theDarkContinent.”Themythspersistdespiteoverwhelmingevidence—fromarcheologists,historians,andcontemporarywritersandtravelers—whichplacestheAfrican-Americansatthecenterofthehumandrama.Accordingtothisevidence,whichhasforcedascholarlyreappraisalofAfricanandworldhistory,thehumanracewasborninAfricawhereBlackpeople,orpeoplewhowouldbeconsideredBlacktoday,wereamongthefirsthumanstousetools,paintpictures,plantseeds,andworshipgods.
ThepopularmythdepictsconqueringEuropeanscarryingtheblessingsofcivilizationtonaked“savages”whosatundertrees,filedtheirteethandwaitedforfruittodropintotheirhands.ThisisagrossperversionofEuropeanandAfricanhistory,forEurope’seminencecameafterthefallofAfricaandasadirectresultofoneofhistory’sgreatestcrimes,the400-yearhorrorcalledtheslavetrade.Whenthiseventstarted,lifeinsomeAfricanstatescomparedfavorablywithlifeinsomeEuropeanstates.Infact,insomeareasofAfricanswereasteportwoahead.Thus,ontheWestCoastofAfrica,fromwhencecamemostoftheancestorsofAmericanBlacks,therewerecomplexinstitutionsrangingfromextendedfamilygroupingstovillagestatesandterritorialempires.Mostofthesepolitieshadallthecharacteristicsofmodernstates—armies,courts,internalrevenuedepartments.Indeed,morethanonescholarhaspaidtributetothe“legalgeniusoftheAfrican.”
Bearingthesethingsinmind,wecanreadilyseethatAfrican-Americans,contrarytothecommonbelief,camenotfromthevoidbutfromtraditionsthatwere,inStanleyElkins’swords,“essentiallyheroicinnature.”
2TheMythofOriginalSlavery
Nothingismorecommonthantohearpeople—BlackandWhite—saythatthecrucialdifferencebetweenBlackandWhitehistoryisthat“wedidn’tcomehereinthesameway.”BythistheymeanthatBlackpeoplecametoEnglishAmericainslaveryandWhitepeoplecameinfreedom.ButthefirstBlackimmigrants,the20AfricanswholandedatJamestown,Virginia,inAugust1619,ayearbeforethearrivaloftheMayflower,werenotslaves.Nor,forthemostpart,werethefirstWhitesfree.ThisisapointofcapitalimportanceinthehistoryofBlackAmerica.Theycame,thesefirstBlacks,thesamewaythatmany,perhapsmost,ofthefirstWhitescame—underduressandpressure.
Theyfoundasystem—indenturedservitude—whichmadeitpossibleforpoorWhitestopayfortheirpassagebysellingtheirservicestoplantersforastipulatednumberofyears.Underthissystem,whichTVandtextbooksgenerallyoverlook,tensofthousandsofWhiteswereshippedtothecoloniesandsoldtothehighestbidder.InVirginia,then,asinothercolonies,thefirstBlacksettlersfellintoawell-establishedsocioeconomicgroovethatcarriedwithitnoimplicationsofracialinferiority.Afterworkingforanumberofyearsasindenturedservants,somewerefreedaccordingtolawandcustom.Beforetheintroductionofslavery,theyaccumulatedland,voted,testifiedincourtsandmingledwiththemassesofWhitesonabasisofrelativeequality.Anditshouldbeborneinmind,inconsideringthemythoforiginalslavery(read:
sin),thatfreedomprecededslavery,andintegrationprecededracism.
3TheMythofImmaculateWhiteCreation
Wordswhisperedinnurseriesandimagesstampedonimpressionablemindsandrepeateddayinanddayout,yearafteryear,fostertheerroneousideathatAmericawastheexclusivecreationofEuropeansandthesonsanddaughtersofEuropeans.Thispropagandaonslaught,whichismoreoverwhelmingthanconvincing,glossesovertheextraordinarycomplexityinthepeoplingofAmerica,whichwasfoundednotbyEuropeansalonebutEuropeans,AfricansandIndiansworkingtogetherandinoppositioninacomplicatedandcounterpointofinterests,dreamsandpassions.TherelativeimportanceoftheAfricanfactorvariedfromtimetotimeandplacetoplace,butitwasnevernegligibleanditextendedovertheentireperiodofsettlement.
Asamatteroffact,Blackexplorers—servants,slavesandfreemen—wereamongthefirstnon-Indiansettlersoftheland,andthereissomeevidencethatAfricansailorsexploredtheNewWorldbeforeColumbus.BlackswerewithPizarroinPeru,CortesinMexico,MenendezinFlorida.They“accompaniedDeSoto,”W.E.B.DuBoiswrote,“andoneofthemstayedamongtheIndiansinAlabamaandbecamethefirstsettlerfromtheOldWorld.”PerhapsthebestknownoftheearlyBlackexplorerswasEstevanico,whoopenedupNewMexicoandArizonafortheSpaniards.
Later,aswehavenoted,Blackpilgrimsprecededtheofficial(White)PilgrimsinthesettlementofEnglishAmerica.TherewereskilledartisansandfarmersamongthefirstgroupofBlackimmigrants,andthereareindicationsintherecordthattheywereresponsibleforsomeinnovationslatercreditedtoEnglishimmigrants.AnearlyexampleofthiswasreportedinVirginia,where,in1648,thegovernororderedriceplantedontheadviceof“ourNegroes,”whosaidconditionsinVirginiawereasfavorabletothecropas“intheirCountry.”
Aftertheintroductionofslavery,Blacksplayedkeyrolesincreatingtheeconomicfoundationsofthecountry.Thestrainofslaverywastoomuchfortenofthousandswhodiedofoldandnewdiseasesandtheshockofpsychicmutilation.Butmillions,testifyingtophysicalandspiritualstrengththattranscendedtheheroic,survived.And,surviving,theyensuredthesurvival—andprosperity—ofAmerica,whichfashionedoutoftheirmiserythetake-offcapitalthatfinancedthegrowthofAmericainthe18thand19thcenturies.
Notonlyinslaverybutalsoinfreedom,notonlyintheSouthbutalsointheNorthandWest,Blackpioneerscontributedtothecommoncause,buildingschools,constructingroadsandblazingnewpathsintotheinterior.WilliamAlexanderLeidesdorff,forexample,playedakeyroleinthefoundingofSanFrancisco,andatleast26ofthe44foundersofLosAngelesweredescendantsofAfricans.NorcanweforgetJeanBaptistePointeDuSable,whofoundedthecityofChicago,aneventtheIndiansimmortalizedinthesaying:
“ThefirstWhitemantosettleinChecagouwasaBlackman.”
Thishappenedinmorecommunitiesthanhistorianscaretoremember.AnditentitlesustosaythatAmerica,mythsnotwithstanding,“isanAfricanaswellasEuropeaninvention.”
4TheMythofAbsence
InAmericanhistory,asinAmericanlife,BlackAmericansareinvisiblepresences.Theyarenotseen,notbecauseoftheirabsencebutbecauseofthepresenceofamyththatpreparesandrequirestheirabsence.Themythofabsence,whichexpressesthisideaandintention,operatesnotbymisinterpretationandslanderbutbysilenceandexclusion.BysimplynotmentioningcertainrealitiesandbyremovingBlackactorsfromscenesinwhichtheyplayedsupportingandsometimesstarringroles,themanipulatorsofthemythchang
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