Checked your calendar lately? As civil rights organizations and professional service groups wrap-up their national conventions, women’s World Cup soccer squads ramp-up their play. Teams from all over the world are competing for the grand championship of women’s sports. The US women who’ve already made history, have set their sights on making even more. But a hot topic of discussion at the conventions might have been around Black History curriculum.
With media attention on Florida these days, many remember past events including the ‘Groveland Boys’ case back in 1949, where four black boys were falsely accused of raping a white woman and beating-down her husband. There was a time the state was like the lynching capital of the deep south, which also included Mississippi and the death of Emmett Till on August 28, 1955. That event further enraged folks which led to Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama on December 5, 1955. A few years later saw the March on Washington and Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech on August 28, 1963.
While the US women’s national team hopes to make history, other folks want to re-write or ‘sugarcoat’ history. There’s a difference in how we experience history. What we’re watching in soccer is lived history. We’re able to see events and celebrate moments of guts and glory. Then there’s learned history where we look back on the past and work to not repeat the same mistakes. Plus, we reflect on moments of valor and vision around American history, the ‘Black to America’ story and #HometownStrong comebacks as examples of service, commitment and excellence. That’s one aspect of the value of SAIC as a social-edge campaign/platform, to bring a better picture of civic/social issues for a high level of citizenship.
Furthermore, SAIC offers a game-changing reason for being a better citizen in the same way that Dr. King and the civil rights movement gave us a history-making reason for being a better nation. Ever wondered why America has always been a magnet for citizens from the world over? In short, folks wanna be part of a legacy story, to have a real engaging story of their own. So, what’s it gonna take to ‘crack the code’ for a movement in public good, entrepreneurship and the American Dream? Maybe we can pull-in ‘lived history’ from a Gen Zer who’s good at solving the Rubik’s cube by having colors in formation.
Or maybe we can pull-in some ‘learned history’ taken from Dr. King’s ‘mountaintop speech’ where he said, “The nation is sick. There is trouble in the land, confusion all around”. These days we’re dealing with culture wars around history & books. Tragedies around fentanyl & mental health. Trafficking of disinformation & hate. Concerns with democracy & divisions. By re-imagining Dr. King’s words, SAIC believes “America’s got a fever because it’s fighting something”. This ‘new & improved’ view of things is gonna help us ‘crack the code’ for a new level of civic engagement in America as:
1. An Idea (Freedom & Equality)
The country was born during a period of enlightenment in the world. The founders saw the chance for a new beginning in the idea of freedom and equality. We can all relate to having an idea that takes root in our psyche. The founders planted that idea like a seed in the soil. The hope was for the seed to take root and bear fruit in civic ideals, simple values and inner assets. But a ‘disease’ (as seen with crops) infected the hearts, minds and souls of the those who turned slavery into a people-as-property enterprise. That original distortion re-infects us at times like an infestation attacking the ‘stalk of America’.
2. A Dream (Self-Determination)
Not only did the founders have an idea they also had a dream of self-determination, of maybe even going from ‘rags to riches’. We saw a recent example of that in the story of Michael Jeffery of D.C. who lost his jobs at a Waffle House and a clothing company during the pandemic. He ended up living in a tent under a bridge for two years. Fast-forward the story, we learn Jeffery went back to get his high school diploma and became valedictorian of his graduating class. He’s now enrolled in college for legal studies. He has a dream of self-determination in saying “Who thought I’d be studying legal studies, right? There was no hope in this tent, but I found it, so you can see how far I’ve came and how far I will get.”
3. An Experiment (Democratic Republic)
America wanted to move away from the control strings of a monarchy. Folks no longer wanted to be beholden to a King. The founders launched an experiment as a democratic republic. That was confirmed by Benjamin Franklin at the end of the Constitutional Convention when he was asked by a bystander, “what do we have, a monarchy or republic?” His response, “A republic, if you can keep it”. With a milestone anniversary of our Declaration of Independence on the horizon in a few years, let’s hope we can report back to Franklin on how “America from 0 to 250 has kept our republic intact”.
4. An Alliance (Original States)
The revolutionary war had many battles. We came out of that period with a ‘startup’ effort in advocacy and synergy. Folks worked on building ‘A New America’ in going from colonies to states. Even with the initial ‘civic battles’ among the founders that saw rifts between the federalists and anti-federalists, they still put some cornerstone things in place, like founding documents, federalist papers, ‘E Pluribus Unum’ mantra, movement of a people. The new alliance has had its black-eye moments of slavery, trail of tears, Jim Crow, Japanese internment camps. So, let’s ensure lived history benefits from learned history.
With the 60th anniversary of Dr King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech upon us, we can apply learned history. King’s words from another time remind us “there’s no greater danger in all the world than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity”. If we were to re-imagine those words, he might say, “America, where is your soul? Show me your soul”. What’s the answer that might best describe who we are as a nation? Well, from hometown to hometown, let’s kickstart a new phase around advocacy/synergy in public good and democracy, entrepreneurship and American Dream. Should we wait for you?
To find out more about ‘America from 0 to 250’ and the Civics & Community Forum Series or how you can “J.A.M. With Us” (join a movement) in civic engagement, social change and community life, checkout the Signup Center below.
Tracks: Lalah Hathaway ft Robert Glasper – Show Me Your Soul – https://youtu.be/CCrtk3z_CrM
Tems – Wait for You – https://youtu.be/Qa1IaUywiO8
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