Black History Month and the Power of Storytelling with Bishop Julius C. Trimble

Hello, good people, and, welcome to the To Be

Encouraged podcast with Bishop Julius c Trimble. This is the podcast

where we look to offer an encouraging word to an often

discouraged world. I'm your cohost, reverend doctor Brad

Miller, bishop, Trimble. Welcome to our conversation today, and

we're in the February. So we are we're in the middle of Black

History Month, my friend. Yeah. Thank you, Brad. It's, it's good to be with

you to to engage in a conversation around Black History Month in

February. It's something that's been celebrated, I

guess, formally since president Gerald Ford proclaimed it

Black History Month or or made it a national national

recognition for the during the month of February. So it's good to be

here, and I I'm I'm looking forward to hearing from you and

and sharing a little bit about a few people that

we we could probably do some more exploration of. And Absolutely.

My my my hope is that people will do some of their own homework

around history because some of the things in black history,

we talk about because we we didn't really learn them, in in

history, in in our schools. And many of our schools still don't teach

black history, which is really part of American history. Sure. So what

do you think is the significance here in the February of twenty twenty five

of Black History Month? Is it still relevant to our world right

right now? Tell me what what makes an impact for you about it. I think

it's extremely relevant in the world today because there

there seems to be, in our current body politic,

a full fledged attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Mhmm. And black history the the origins of black history

really come came out of a desire for more diversity

in our educational process. Carter g Woodson is

noted as the father of black history, and he,

or didn't go to high school until he was 20 years old, Brad. Wow.

But he ain't we but he continued. Once he got started, he was pretty good.

He's a pretty good student scholar. He was the second black actually,

earned a PhD from Harvard University. The first being

WEB Du Bois. But Carter g Woodson felt

that Negro history, as it was called at that time, was overlooked, and

Americans knew nothing with the exception possibly And give me a gen

give me a general idea what time frame we're talking about. Is this what? Just

1900, twenties? Nineteen '15. In nineteen

nineteen fifteen, Carter g Woodson started the,

Association for the Study of Negro Life. It was

1926 that what was called Negro

History Week was launched by Carter g Woodson,

but it wasn't recognized widely, Brad. It was launched in

February because February was both

the the month of Frederick Douglass' birthday and Abraham

Lincoln. And those freed slaves

saw Abraham Lincoln as as a hero.

And so history, Carter g Woodson, tied

Negro History Week, which later became Black History Month,

to February because it was the month, the birth month

for Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Okay. I didn't I didn't

know that part of things. So that's, that's fascinating. And so

what how how do you think it's evolved and grown since those early

days when it became more of a

recognized thing, a part of the American culture? What if how

growth growth has happened? I know we got some challenges now, but how are things

growing? Well, it's grown significantly because it became part

of many curriculum of many public school situates

public schools in elementary, and I remember

our children having an opportunity to to do projects

around Black History Month. And so it's been part of our educational

curriculum in since its inception. In many

places, it has not been has not been celebrated, but

it also spurned a lot more writing around

the history of the contributions of black Americans. In

particular, people wanted to know who were persons who contributed

to many of the scientific as well as political

advances in America, and many of those persons were

persons who were just one generation

removed from slavery. So or even some who

actually became significant during the time

of the enslaved in in America. You think about our own

state, Brad, who the Hoosier state. Now there are

different accounts of the history of Hoosier state. Right. But there's some

historians who attributed in part to Harry

Hoosier. Yes. Even Harry Hoosier who who traveled with Francis

Asbury. And he was known as Black Harry and, was a

very popular preacher even though Brad, he never was

ordained in the Methodist church. Right. He was a companion of

Francis Asbury. And the the thing that I

believe might be attributed to his role in

Indiana was that he he was as popular with white

persons as he was with those who were slaves or or the

Negro population, African population in his preaching.

Mhmm. And when when Methodist populated the

Indiana, particularly along the Ohio River, Harry Hoosier

was one of the most popular preachers in the second during the

period of the second awakening. So many say there's different there's

different accounts of where the Hoosier state name came from, but that's

one of them. But, certainly, that's one of the, you know, one of the more

prominent ones. There are several others out there I know, but that is one that's

well known there. But I think it's indicative of kind of something that is

the the illumination

of black history throughout time that would not perhaps be there.

You know, I'm talking about figures in the scientific world, in

the military world, in education who

may not be well known or known at all unless there was

some focus put on that. And so it seems to me that's an important

aspect of this that there have been great discoveries

and great things that have happened that would not be recognized otherwise. Do you

think that's the case? That's absolutely the case. I think

when I think about doctor King, the quote that's often attributed to

mark doctor Martin Luther King Junior when he says, we all tied

together in a single court of destiny that that

that are literally our lives are intertwined. And so

many of the great much of the great progress that's been made in

this country has has been a result of persons

including African Americans. You you think about doctor

Charles Drew and American Red Cross and the collection of

blood, for example. Charles Drew from nineteen o four

nineteen fifty. He died, you know, as a young man,

but he was responsible for the process of changing

blood into plasma and the the ability the

ability to give blood transfusions, which resulted

in lives being saved near the end of World War two.

Unfortunately, Brad, he was in a car accident

and, was died in part be because of

loss of blood and not being able to get to a

hospital in time for his life to be saved. Doctor Charles Drew

How ironic. Should Yeah. How how ironic. Pick up. I think it

highlights also some of the and I'm sure you're

much better versed at this than I am, but some of the

particular challenges that black

folks had throughout history to accomplish whatever they

accomplished. You know, I can't help but, think

of of the movie that was out a few years

ago about the, black women who were instrumental

in the NASA space program getting Right. And going in

house. Hidden Figures. The movie was called Hidden Figures. Thank you. Hidden

Figures. And, that was just indicative of One of those persons, I believe,

was a Methodist too. Is that right? One of those persons was a Methodist from

Virginia, a brilliant mathematician. But but

that though, that's a true story. In fact, I didn't know that

story until that until it came out. But I'm sure that in

its own way, that story of having

really crazy, unrealistic challenges put

before black folks and people of color to accomplish anything

academically. I know some time ago, I read the account of some of the first,

black folks who entered, like, West Point and some of the other military academies, how

they had to go through just really a whole lot more than, you

know, than other folks did in order to accomplish what they

accomplished. And so, did I think that's an

attribution to the absolute fire and

perseverance that these folks had to accomplish things well beyond

the expectations or the understanding of their peers. Yeah. I just

heard about Mac Robinson. And maybe you know

who Mac Robinson is, but he finished second

in the 1936, I think, 200 meters,

sprint in the Olympics. That was the year

that Jesse Owens really made

America America's flag fly

high in the face of Adolf Hitler who

was who was at the nineteen thirty six Olympics. And the

Germans were considered superior athletes, and yet

Jesse Owens, a black man, was considered the the

greatest Trex sprinter of the of his

time. But the person who finished second was also a black

man named Mac Robinson. And

Mac Robinson, I did not know who Mac Robinson was, but he

was the older brother of Jackie Robinson Oh, okay. Who

became famous. Right. Right. So it's all of these

things that I think are worth learning. And it's not not so

written so much to elevate black history above

other contributions, but it's to remind people that

in spite of slavery, in spite

of the period of reconstruction and the black codes which followed,

which I like to speak to in a minute Sure. That

black people still contributed and are some of the most,

if not the most patriotic citizens

of this country. When you think about the history

of being brought here as as as

bondage in bondage, some who were able to buy

their freedom or some who were able to be born into into free

freedom or lived in states that were free, and yet to

continue to contribute to the advancements of this

country is, I think, just phenomenal. And that still continues to

happen in the area in the areas of arts and

science, in the areas of architecture

and construction and invention to work to work

alongside and on. In some cases, out of necessity,

become really creators. Somebody like a

Bessie Coleman Yeah. Who was both who was both African

American and a native American in her in her heritage. Bessie Coleman was

born in 1892 and died in

1926, was the first civil

civil aviator, and she

became became one of those persons who were in the air shows where they

did all of the acting. Okay. This is in the nineteen

twenties. We're talking in nineteen twenties. And, unfortunately, she was

killed in an air crash with which she was the passenger. She was

not the pilot. Excuse me. She was in a pass

passenger in one of the airshows in which they were

doing flips and so forth under the Right. Right. Same crash.

But people had she she had to go to France to learn how to fly

because Yeah. It was no flight schools that she could attend to in The

United States. I know even here, we'll both in Indianapolis

area and their the major story I don't know all the details, but

Major Taylor, famous bicycle racer, had to go to

France in order to, you know, have a claim there before he

could have any claim here in The United States. And, seemed like that was a

relatively common story back in that era of a hundred

years or so ago. But let's kind of transfer let's kind of flip

it around as we travel to our story here

today. What do you think are some lessons learned

from people who navigated really tough times

in or black historical figures that can be for people

in our day and age who may be some, what,

marginalized or minimalized for whatever situation they are in

to kinda keep at it, to persevere and make their own history and their own

right right now? What are some lessons learned from black historical figures that can

be applied to people now who may be, for whatever reason, marginalized

now? Well, I like to think of it from a theological perspective that

if if God has God's hand on some on you,

then and you get a vision for what it is you you can do or

should do. Our job, Brad, is to really to be encouragers. You

know, this is kinda big for me. To be encourages for not

for people not to let any obstacles stand in the

way between you, your dream, and your your persistence

regarding what it is you feel God has called you to do or you have

a passion for. Sure. And when I think about the most recent presidential

election and Kamala Harris, the first African

American woman to serve as vice president. First one to be on a

ticket, a presidential ticket Right. As vice president

and then to serve four years as vice president. Then to become the first

woman to be a a a a candidate all the

way to the election. Early on, though,

Shirley Chisholm, the first black congresswoman

elected to congress in 1968 from New York

City, Brooklyn, she declared and ran for

president in 1972 as a as a

serious presidential candidate. And there's a video a

Netflix film, I think it was last year that it came out or the

year before, entitled Shirley. Mhmm. And it tells the story of

Shirley Chisholm. And I think it's a wonderful story for girls of

of any race and for people of any age to look at and say, oh,

this is not a this is not a mythical story. This is about a

woman who ran who who was a very popular

congressperson from her congressional district in New York who

said, why shouldn't I run for president? And she did run

as a democratic candidate for president. She didn't make she

didn't make it as the choice of the democrat democrats,

but but she she she chose She made an

to withdraw. She definitely made an impact and was a part of the if I'm

understanding correctly, kind of a part of the historical lineage, which was

inspirational to Kamala Harris and other people and and

recent recent era, the last

10. But, you mentioned a while ago,

Bishop, about how something you really was on your heart up to speak about this.

What was that that you wanted to speak to regarding

Black History Month? Well, I think Black History Month is really a down

payment on a better appreciation for the for

for overall history. And to to right after slavery,

there was a period called the Reconstruction period, and that's when

black people had a had an opportunity. Black men were able to

vote and and were nominated for office. In fact, we

had early on several several black

men, Brad, who were elected to the US Senate. We

never talk about that. Yeah. One who's one who's name I do remember

because he was a Methodist preacher, reverend Hiram

Revels. Reverend Hiram Revels, who was an ordained

preacher in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Later after he left the senate,

became the president of, I believe, it's Alcorn State

University. But Hiram Revels, who was a a

proponent I mean, who who was a big advocate

for ending slavery, and I think he he, in fact,

served in the Union Army then was elected to the

US Senate from Mississippi. So there there the

but but right after that, every time there's been progress, Brad,

there's been there's been a reaction. Yes. So after

reconstruction, they were initiated in the South what were called

black codes, later to be called Jim Crow. But this

was the the re the retrenchment on the rights in which blacks

had. Mission must of the much of this was

supported by by Northern Northern Whites

as well. And the the whole idea was to keep peace in

the newly formed union, and that was this

to to to take away some of the gains that had been made

by by blacks in a relatively short period of time.

One of those things that happened in the black during the black codes was that

anyone being accused of vagrancy could

be arrested and put in prison. Mhmm. So there was a

large amount of unemployment because of the end of slavery. So

you had a period of time before people were able to find trades and

employment. So many blacks ended up being in prison

during that time and were essentially forced back into slavery

Wow. Because because prisoners could be used as as

slave labor. So I say that to say, so there's been

periods of progress followed by periods of resistance.

Yeah. Seem like we're in one of those periods of resistance right now, my friend.

I'm not you know, we have a lot of efforts by folks to roll

back such initiatives as DEI and other things like that.

What's your take on how things are being reacted to

in these days about, it seems to

me like that as folks of color and other

folks have advanced, there is now a kind of reaction to that. I don't

know. Would you speak to that for a second? Oh, my sure. Absolutely.

I think the attack on DEI is just a is

just another code word for saying attack on black and brown people and

the progress that has been made. Unfortunately, the data

doesn't correspond with people's argument for why we should be

retraction from DEI. I don't know if you know, Brad, but the

greatest beneficiaries of affirmative action, DEI,

or or these loosening of the or or the

breaking of the glass ceiling have been women,

particularly white women. And followed by that,

also black women, Asians, and Hispanics

all have benefited from what we call

diversity, equity, and inclusion. Sure. So this is not just something

that is that has benefited black persons,

but the the attack on DEI is

essentially attack on black history and Black History Month as

well. Because as we celebrate the contributions of a

diverse multiracial America,

it seems as though we're saying enough is enough. And so we

don't want it in our military. We don't want anything that would help us

address our biases. We don't want anything that would help us

acknowledge that we have people who are not just

identify as male or female, but are part of the LGBTQIA

plus community. And just, you know, I I

I have trouble with I have trouble with us arguing that we need to put

the 10 commandments in the hallways

and then take school lunches out of the lunch

rooms or take books or take books bread out of the

library. So what do we do? I guess I guess what we need to do

is just pray our way through a better education.

Well, that's one approach, but yet, I think what you're sharing here is that

there's incredible shortsightedness to not even see

choosing not to see the contributions of the totality of

everybody and how there is a there is a synergy

that happens when people work together of all different

races and backgrounds, how there's more good

than that negative out of that. And and also

even, as you say, denying even the facts, you know, the facts

don't matter when you have an opinion that is based on the

on on on racism and exclusivity,

you know, that that type of thing. So I I think there's some things that

we can can be mindful here that

we're Black History Month is not just February of every

year. It is an understanding that blacks and people of all

walks of life are part of life all year round. Right? Yeah. I mean, it's

it's it's it's it's Absolutely. Yeah. It's kinda like

it's kinda like we have summer school in February for for

Americans. Yeah. I have a black history month. I had to go to summer

school when I was in high school, to make up for

a a a a a class I had actually was

trigonometry, algebra trig. And, I also had to go to

summer school when I was in college because I had missed some I

had missed some some courses. And in order to graduate

relatively close to the time I was scheduled, I needed to go to summer

school. So there's nothing wrong with us having additional opportunities

to learn. In fact, I think we should have an opportunity to

learn more about Native American history Yes. Because the truth be

told, we are we are the ones who came undocumented

to this native land. And so we should learn

about all all people's contribution. And it's

it it this is black history is in part, I

think, a a result of acknowledging

that black Americans the history of black Americans being

brought here as slaves, but there was more to

that history, more to that contribution prior to slavery,

during, and then after slavery. So you we some of us know the story

of Harriet Tubman and her work to to free

slaves. But many of us don't know the story of Denmark

Vesey or Nat Turner or others who who

also fought and were part of the,

radical response to to chattel slavery.

I think one of the things I would just kind of respond to you about

that is, you know, I'm a white person. We're about the same age,

and the education that many people had, I'll speak for myself,

was very limited in this area. It was Harriet Tubman

and George Washington Carver and maybe one or two

Nobody else. But that was not many more than that, to be honest with you.

And those in your history books, in your textbooks, it was relegated to

a small section and that's this hair this type of

thing. And I think even less so for, you know, Native Americans and

other Hispanic Americans, probably even less so.

Less so. Yeah. So my question to you or my conversation I

wanna have with you around that is, especially given the in light of some of

the challenges we have before us, what are some ways maybe other

sectors can step up here? You know, you're a pastor at United Methodist

Church and a bishop of the church, and now you're on a national

level of advocacy group, the,

Board of Churches and Society. And what are things that maybe

local congregations or local faith communities or

other entities that are not governmentally

instituted can do to be helpful to be more

complete in our understanding of not only black

history, but our understanding of how we all can work together for the better

good. I think, I think we should we should follow

the model of other communities and realize that we should

augment all of our education with our faith

institutions as well. So our churches should

be places of learning, not just the Bible. Of course,

we wanna know the word of god, but also what does it mean to

live in a world where people come from different places,

bring different contributions. No. There's no

orthodox Jews or any practicing Jewish

communities and families that don't also have a school that they

attend apart from their regular school to learn their history.

Sure. And that that's true. I I just recently talked into a a a

coworker that Koreans have similar similar opportunities,

and all of us should have opportunities. I think particularly,

you know, in in the Methodist tradition, we don't

often learn learn everything about our own Methodist history. So Sure.

We may know about Wesley, but we may not know much

about Richard Allen, or we may never have heard of Harry Hoosier

or, you know, or James bishop James s Thomas, or others

who who came later on who were part of the United

Methodist history, or Jim Lawson, who was one of

the foremost teachers of non violence and

was brought to the South by

Martin Luther King Junior. In fact, outlived Martin Luther King Junior and

his contributions to civil rights and non violence

resistance. So we should be always learners. What I

intend to do even in my later stage in life, Brad,

is to be committed to learning and sharing. Learning and

sharing. And podcasts provide an opportunity for

that. But I would encourage people to do some research.

You know, now with with streaming TV pieces and things

on on our phones, we can we can augment our education

or lack thereof. There was a nice,

Netflix film I mentioned about Shirley that talks about Shirley

Chisholm, one entitled Rustin. I think it was on Netflix or

one of the streaming that talked about Bayard Rustin,

who was gay and was

very much one of the foremost strategist for

doctor Martin Luther King Junior in the March on Washington.

Yes. So so, you know and there there are people there are

people like that all all across, women and men that we never

talk. Phyllis Wheatley, for example. Phyllis Wheatley was someone

I heard about when I was in elementary school because my English teacher

was related to I grew up in Chicago

with the Port Laurette for the state, was Gwendolyn

Brooks. And my English teacher was related to

Gwendolyn Brooks, and she taught us about people like Phillis

Wheatley, who was, I think, the second or third woman to be

published in The United States, and this is in the seventeen hundreds.

This is a black woman a black woman who

was a outstanding poet poet, but

also an activist as well. You mentioned learning

and sharing and telling retelling the stories there. Those

are encouraging words, I think, to share. But I'd like you to kinda bring our

whole conversation around to the theme of what you are all about, which is being

encouraged. And so let's just say we're talking to

maybe some folks, maybe they're of color, maybe they're a gay person, or

maybe they're poor woman, or maybe there's someone who says, okay. My

history doesn't matter. The people don't matter to me because I'm been

marginalized for whatever reason. So what are

some maybe lessons learned or things that you can give to give some

sort of an encouraging word to someone who may be feeling

marginalized and feeling like their history, personal history,

may not matter so much, particularly in our our present circumstances.

What is an encouraging word you can give to those people? Well, I think this

is another subject that we're gonna be talking about over over a period of time,

but but but this whole notion of hope. I think we

need to realize that we're part of the bigger story,

god's story. Psalm twenty twenty four, the

Earth is the lord. Psalm twenty four one. The Earth is the lord's and the

fullness thereof and all who dwell therein.

So, all of us are part of a larger story. God's, the God

story, if you will. Willie Jennings talks about this understanding

what does it mean for us to be part of story and create

story. And so your story matters, my story

matters, and sometimes it's not not been told, or we

don't get to hear hear the story. I it was twenty

years ago, I heard my mother for the first time talk about

growing up in segregated Alabama and

having to ride on riding the sitting in the back of the bus.

But it wasn't a story of depression and

victimization. It was a story of realization

and hope. Because one of the things she said was that we knew

that it would not always be this war would be this way. The

progress would progress would take place, but it would

require both prayer and participation. So I would

say to people who are listening, you know, your

story is important, and sometime it doesn't get a

national platform. Sometimes it's not a book that's

published. But every one of us should be able to

tell our story, share our story, and acknowledge. And it's not doesn't

mean that our stories are often, as we talked about

today, full of pain, suffering,

bumps along the way, obstacles, but also mountaintop

experiences of joy and celebration. Sure.

Sure. One of the things we could do, I think, to make the world a

better place is to really create more space

for for our stories to be heard and for a hunger

to hear other people's story. Yeah. Well, I think it's that's

a great place for us to kind of close this part

of our conversation and maybe revisit it again to kinda really go deeper

into hope here before too long. But what I'm here to say to that

person who may be feeling a little bit lost or a little bit

marginalized that your story matters. You matter to me. You matter to

others. You matter to god. And I think that's Absolutely. That's an awesome

thing to share. Well, thank you for sharing today, bishop Julius c Treble.

We really want to acknowledge that, not only

February of twenty twenty five is Black History Month, but really all

people's history matters, and that's part of being living a

life of encouragement. So we thank you for being being with us here today,

bishop Treble. And this is the, to be encouraged

podcast where we always look to offer an encouraging

word to an often discouraged world.