Black History Month-History, Impact and Infuence

Brad Miller: 00:00:01

The importance and the impact of Black History Month on episode number 47 of the to be encouraged podcast with Bishop Julius C. Trumbull.

Brad Miller: 00:00:20

You are welcome to be encouraged with Bishop Julius C tremble. Bishop treble is on a mission to encourage you with the love of Jesus Christ, so you can rise to your highest potential. On to be encouraged. Bishop treble speaks to a discouraged world with a good word on the pandemic, racism, the environment, human sexuality and the state of the church with a focus on centering your life on the love of Jesus Christ. Has there ever been a more needed time for an encouraging word to our world? This is your time to rise to your greatest potential and to be encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Tremble.

Brad Miller: 00:01:24

Every February is Black History Month. And here in episode number 47 of to be encouraged. Bishop Julius C. Treble wanted to share some thoughts with our podcast audience about the history and the power, the impact the influence and the present relevance of black folks upon all of the history of the United States and really impact upon the world. And he had some thoughts he wanted to share. So let's get to this talk by Bishop Julius see trouble about Black History Month, right now.

Bishop Julius Trimble: 00:02:09

It is Black History Month and I was in a conversation earlier today around a black history whether or not people fully embrace that and even actually benefit of participating in black history. In 1915, the Association for the Study of Negro life and history was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. And it was in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation that Abraham Lincoln did to free the slaves. Negro History Week was publicized and promoted in 1926. And it was to highlight inventions and achievements and contribute contributions made by black citizens of the United States. February was chosen because it was already being celebrated as the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The 1920s saw the emergence of a black middle class in spite of segregation and in spite of discrimination. Black History Week was celebrated as Black History Month by black educators as early as the 1960s. And in 1976, President Gerald Ford declared February is Black History Month, and the Congress passed it into law in 1986. Black history is American history, and is World History. My family growing up my family had books of famous blacks, and our children growing up including JT they were exposed to books that we had purchased that highlighted the achievements of black Americans, persons who made great achievements and inventions. Great athletes like Wilma Rudolph, who, who was diagnosed with polio, but went on to become a greater Olympic sprinter. People like Benjamin Banneker, who created the first wooden clock and and did the layout for Washington DC, the land he laid out. He surveyed Washington DC people more recently, like Rondo s de mon who created the smart shoe. So the sneakers that you see you to Nike and others that have made millions billions of dollars upon or Lonnie Johnson some are more more recent multimillionaire, who created them one of the most popular toys ever to land on the market that our children couldn't have. We wouldn't permit our children to have these kinds of tours. But Lonnie Johnson created the Supersoaker now when you think about black history, black History is really American history. And it really predates slavery. So the purpose of black history, according to the genius, thinking of Dr. cottagey, Woodson was that black people's contributions would not be forgotten, as the history marched on. And we'd be more than just footnotes and history books, but it would be woven in and celebrated during the month of February. In the 1920s, actually, when Black History Week was being promoted and publicized, there was a middle class being created in many parts of the United States, then you think about black Renaissance, black artists, and so forth. And some of these towns that you no longer hear about that, that ended up being destroyed because of racism. But actually, black people were beginning to develop wealth and create their own institutions as early as the 20s. This is after, after, after the Reconstruction period in Jim Crow it kicked in. But even though blacks would go off and fight in World War One and came back, they still were faced with not being able to get home loans, not being able to access well. I saw I saw online that thing this this year is Black History theme being black resilience. How in spite of COVID in spite of a downturn in the economy, isn't this a word that's become popular now? And that's that's resilience, you know? How do we, you know, how do we kind of hang in there? Too often, we think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bread. And most people say, Oh, well, we know that black history moment. But we have too often what I say and others have said, we've we've frozen Dr. King on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And all we know is I have a dream. But his shirt he gave when he won the Nobel Prize. And his some of his and his some of his writing in his book, strength to love. Excuse me. And where do we go from here was around economic freedom was around wealth. This is what Dr. King said, God never intended for one group of people to live and superfluous in ordinate wealth. Why others live in abject den in in poverty. I think that's a great quote. God never intended for one group of people to live in an ordinate wealth, and another group of people to live in abject deadening poverty. So it's important. This does not mean it's just like, you know, it's not mean that we don't that I don't believe in all wealth. But we have that we've had a hard time really creating more wealth, you know, we have we are in ordinate consumers. Yeah, so we consume a lot in terms of Americans in general and black Americans in particular. But we don't, we haven't created the kind of wealth. That's, that's what I want to say there correlates with the amount of consumption.

Bishop Julius Trimble: 00:08:15

I think I'm encouraged by by generational blessings. My mother's 100 years old, his JTS grandmother's 100 years old. And I think about what she's seen in her lifetime. When we think about black history, she grew up in segregated Montgomery, Alabama, rode on a bus where she had to wrap it in the back of the bus. But she said, I remember saying this to over 20 years ago, you know, they always there always was a sense of hope that the world was moving towards progress. So there was a sense in that you needed to educate yourself to be prepared for the progress that the world was leaning towards, and that God would never leave God's children abandoned. So that's a sense that I and then I get the same thing from the other end of the generation. Brad, you talk about it from the granddaughter. So from, from the youngest son from the oldest in the family, family tree, and then from the youngest, I get the sense that a lot of things we think are wasted are not wasted. I remember she picking up some little twigs, I'm thinking, throw that away. That's just some trash. And she's making it more important than I thought it was. And we get older, we lose our sense of wonder, and awe. So, so I'm encouraged, I'm hopeful, both by generations, who are be the generation before us, and the generations that are coming after us. Even on some of our young young clergy guests, I'm inspired by, by their their desire and their sense of of hope. And I think we ought to be hope projectors, you know, watching the news, whether it's shooting in Michigan State to yesterday, or something every day is something that, you know, 1000s of people in Turkey and Syria, you know, because of an earthquake. And obviously, they obviously our prayers are needed. But our prayers are needed as well as our progress. WEB DuBois talks about work. And he said, to return from your work must be the satisfaction, which that work brings you into worlds in need of that work. Always wanted to do the do work that the world needed. And now you know, who wants to do work that nobody needs. With this life, life is heaven, or near heaven as you can get. Without this, with work which you despise, which bores you wish the world does not need, this life is hailed. So I'd much rather have a life of heaven. Well, you feel like you're doing work that's, that's worthy and the world needs as opposed to something that bores you and you can't stand and nobody even needs you to do it. Then that's who it was his description of hey, I

Brad Miller: 00:11:20

do want to thank Vishal juja C, treble for sharing his thoughts about Black History Month. And just to get put that into context that, you know, Black history is not just about every February, it is really about as visual Tremmel has stated, it's about the entire totality of history. We just uplifted in February, but is about totality of history and impact and influence in the United States and indeed, around the world. But it is, it's important. It'd be lifted up at this time and reminder that many churches and many communities and many organizations have special events, and worship services, and lectures and other opportunities to acknowledge the power of Black History Month. And we certainly invite you to check those out in your local community and as your local United Methodist Church, and in other places you may acknowledge a Black History Month. We do look forward to serving serving you here on the to be encouraged podcast with Bishop Julius see trouble. We look forward to hearing you being with you next time. Until next time, this is your co host Reverend Dr. Brad Miller, for Bishop Julius see trouble encouraging you to always do all the good that you can