Black History Month Conference

I went to two of the sections in the Black History Conference, and one of them I found particularly interesting. It was the section at 2:45, and it seemed to be aimed mainly at Paideia students. But the speaker had a message that she sent to everyone, and one that stuck with me. It tied into the theme of the entire conference: movement. She expanded on this, starting with movement being integration (as many of the African Americans did), moving to this being in art, music, and the like. She emphasized that had not several of the primary figures during the Integration time spoken up (Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, etc), African Americans would not have the rights they do today. Or if they had, they would not be as far along as they actually are.
With that, other speakers I heard were also very focused on movement, namly Integration. But the majority of this movement dealt with persecution and the fleeing of it. What I had a hard time grasping was the fact that this persectuion of African Americans has been ongoing since the 1800s. It has even dated back to when they were still in Africa, as they continuously fled from the areas into persecution and found minimal solace in refugee camps (a mini history lesson for those who did not know). I don't think people today grasp the seriousness of what the "Americans" have done to the African Americans. This persecution has been going on too long, and still does today. And this sort of teaching really needs to start in the classroom. We can be friends with anyone. Skin color should not make a difference. Unfortunately, with the "ignorance" of the parents, not many children will be exposed to the diversity, whether it be unintentional or not. This conference was eye-opening in how little people really know about African American history. And it's not just theirs. It's everyones. We all have played a part, and still do, so long as we keep these stories alive.