Thursday Thoughts: William Wilburforce

English: Portrait of a Gentleman (Mr. Wilberforce) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My Thursday thoughts are about a great man, William Wilburforce.  Who is he?   Well William Wilburforce, and Englisman, was a powerful champion in the fight to abolish slavery, not only in his country of England but also worldwide.  He fought hard for the freedom of slaves and was a leader in the campaign.   On a side note, he also created the first Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals.

“Wilberforce has long been viewed as a Christian hero, a statesman-saint held up as a role model for putting his faith into action.  More broadly, he has also been described as a humanitarian reformer who contributed significantly to reshaping the political and social attitudes of the time by promoting concepts of social responsibility and action.”  (Wiki excerpt)

Now as we, or you, celebrate Black History Month, Mr. Wilberforce’s contribution to the advancement of black people should be a part of black history.  I must remind you though of my apathy towards the continued celebrating of Black History Month.  I feel it has no place in this day and age and is anti-progressive.   As a black man, I share the pride of the accomplishments of black people.  Because we are striving to eliminate racial barriers and see each other as just fellow humans,  I see these celebrations as ‘us against them’.  I see them as barriers that serve as speed bumps on the road to the eradication of racism.

Back to Mr. William Wilberforce…Black history would not be complete without the inclusion of people like Wilberforce.  His name should be spoken of in the same breath as Martin Luther King’s.  Granted, he was English but his aim was to secure the freedom of slaves across the oceans.  Because of him and other non-blacks like him, us black were able to get to where we are today.  Without them maybe we wouldn’t have had King or Obama or me.

And that’s my take…

Related articles

• Black History Month Makes Me Uncomfortable (thislifeinphotos.wordpress.com)
• The Problem With Black History Month (theroot.com)
• My Take On Black History Month

Amazing Grace

Music of Grace: Amazing Grace (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few days ago, while listening to a Christian Radio, (chvn 95.1 fm),  the song Amazing Grace started playing.  For some reason, I found myself pondering the song and  the origin.  This is one of the most recognizable of all songs,  religious or otherwise.  I think even the devil sings it.  It is so popular that I’m sure many if not all of us,  sing it from memory without really paying much attention to the lyrics.  Here’s a little blog about the man behind the song and its origin.

English man John Newton,  was the songwriter of this historic song.  For such a deep and soul baring song, one would think that he must have been a deeply devout christian, testifying to the saving grace of God.  Well sort of.

John was forced into military service and later, on his own volition, became a slave trader.  Apparently, he had one of the worst sailors’ vocabulary that his captain had ever heard.  (He was the most profane man the captain had ever met). In other words, he cursed like a sailor and more than a sailor.

John Newton was not always religious, even though his mother tried to instill it in him.  In fact, he denounced God at one part in his life.  It took a near-death experience for him to return to the fold.  (He cried out for God’s intervention when the ship he was on was caught in a storm).  That incident marked a turning point in his life and one that he would remember for the rest of his life.

Contrary to claims, Newton did not write the song in a moment of clarity while on a slave ship.  In fact, after his conversion he continued to dabble in slave trading and only gave it up after being ill.  He wrote Amazing Grace some years after his last voyage.

Amazing Grace is a strong song.  It speaks volumes about God’s love and his forgiveness.  This blog is not to take anything away from John Newton or to judge him in any way for his participation in one of the darkest era of humanity, (Although I think he should have given it up after he found God but maybe his conviction and conversion was not fully completed).  He left us with a great song.

Years after hanging up his slave trader hat, Newton joined forces with abolitionist William Wilberforce in his fight against slavery.  For such a person like John Newton, it would have taken an amount of saving grace to redeem him from what he was.  A bad boy, a slave trader and a man who turned his back on God.  It must have really been an Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like him.  And me.  And you.

Amazing grace, how sweet thou art…

Related reads:

http://www.texasfasola.org/biographies/johnnewton.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Newton

Adidas Slave Shoes

Making the rounds on the news, Twitter and other social media is the story that Adidas is planning to market shoes that has a shackle-like attachment, dubbed ‘shackle shoes’.

The big issue with this is that critics are crying foul over the choice of decor.  Apparently, to some of us, this conjures up painful memories of our slave ancestors working in the fields with shackles on their feet.  I must be a bit slow because at first glance, that’s not the picture I got.  I saw an ugly pair of shoes that would look silly on any wearer’s feet.  I bet I could have looked at them for 24 hours and still not make the slavery connection but I never said I was very bright.

Coincidentally, Mr. T of  ’The A-Team’ fame, recently made it known in his book that his famous gold chains were worn to represent the chains of bondage black people wore during slavery.  Apparently, someone forgot to let him know that his chains evoke painful and best-unforgotten memories.  I pity the fool who tries.

Adidas’ shackle shoes, Mr. T’s big links or whatever emblems that supposedly evoke buried memories, somehow does not work on me.   Blatant racism does. Injustice against blacks does.  Seeing Mr. T’s gold does not bring me pain-filled memories of my ancestor struggling under the sun while tethered by chains of bondage.  Am I a cold-hearted human? Do I need help? Or maybe like I said, I’m just not smart enough to connect the dots?  You tell me.

If anything, stuff like this makes me proud. I see a shoe with shackles and if it makes me remember slavery, then I will remember where we came from and look at Obama and see where we are.  I will urge Adidas and Nike and whoever else, to keep reminding us where we came from and the struggles that we endured.  I will feel no pain because my ancestors felt enough pain.

We can’t allow ourselves to get perturbed by images and objects that have seemingly have some remote connections to history, no matter how painful.  If I did that, I would be boycotting all material made from cotton for isn’t that where it all started?

It’s only a shoe and coincidentally, it’s also only my take.

 

 

Related articles

• Adidas criticized for ‘shackles’ sneakers, denies link to slavery (thelook.today.msnbc.msn.com)
• Adidas Slammed for Launching Slave Shoes With Shackles Around the Ankles (shoppingblog.com)
• Adidas pulls shackle sneaker after slavery controversy (abc4.com)
• Controversy over new Adidas ‘slave shackle’ basketball shoe (offthebench.nbcsports.com)
• Adidas’ New Shoes Seem Pretty Racist (buzzfeed.com)