Start at the start with Crispus Attucks, one
of the first people to give his life in the fight
by the 13 colonies against George III in
Boston on March 5, 1770, in what became
known as the Boston Massacre. He was
a black man who gave his life for a country
that was to come into being as a result of
the rebellion against the British sovereign,
even though he and blacks then and later
would have no rights in that country. Without
Attucks and others fighting in that rebellion
against George IIII, no independent US history
black or white or otherwise would even exists
for the United States would never come into being
as an independent country.

Then move right on two absolutely indispensable
blacks, Martin Luther King Jr and Charles Richard
Drew. With Dr King so deeply involved in the struggle
to save his country in the 1960s at the end of his life
from "spiritual death" as he referred to it from militarism,
racism, and imperialism that had put the USA on the
wrong side of history. Then put Dr Drew in who as
a surgeon would develop blood plasma which would
literally save so many lives bodily of those in his country.
He would go to England to put in the first blood bank with
the sanction of the British government.

Next it would be good to look at Paul Robeson, an activist politically
and otherwise, and internationally recognized actor and singer who
stood for his ideals of a better for all across the spectrum of issues
at home and abroad, whom the communist bashing fanatics who
got too much power in the hysteria of the late 1940s and 1950s would
destroy the career of due to their hatred of his political ideals and crazy
dogma of knee jerk anti communism and their guilt by association mentality.
Ultimately in 1950 the State Department would take his passport, which he
wouldn't get back until 1958, thus depriving Robeson his best opportunities
which were in countries where he would have to have a passport to travel
to. That Robeson could get as far as he did in this loony right/far right era
was a tribute to his greatness, courage, and brilliance, for deprived of his
passport, Robeson had no real opportunity during that period to continue
with his career at home in the USA, as US communist bashing fanatics had
created there such an atmosphere of hostility, hatred, and anger at Robeson
for his "unAmericanism" which wasn't, but which the US media peddled
as gospel so completely. However, Robeson had his brief moment at a
HUAC (House UnAmerican Activities Committee) when he called out
these low life, foaming at the mouth mad dogs for what they were calling them
the real "UnAmericans," and telling them "You should be ashamed of
yourselves," as he stood there representing the highest and best of
the ideals of the founding fathers and the best of what this country should
stand for and for best of Americanism. But the US media would do its "job"
erasing much of Robeson's life and sending it down a memory hole. For after
all Robeson openly said he was a socialist, even if he put the stress on
democratic socialism. These US media types were much more concerned
with any threat to the US brand of capitalism, which they were, and are still
so much a part of. Robeson proved to be right about the need for negotiation
rather than confrontation with Moscow, as a one time top level CIA official
put it, "The 10 feet tall Russians" was always BS. Robeson would have to
endure many racist incidences in the USA throughout his life, but the worst of
all came in August and September of 1949 in Peerskill NY where he was
scheduled to give concerts, with the first scheduled for August, but cancelled
after violence. Then in September Robeson was scheduled to perform at
another concert which he and Pete Seeger sang at, with people carrying
racist, anti Semitic, and communist bashing signs literally attacking those
attending with baseball bats and bricks, even dragging some out of their cars.
With the fascists and racists and anti Semites attacking the pro Robeson crowd
many of whom were veterans of the Second World War and having fought
against fascism.

Dr King would get pegged by the same media types with the label of "black
leader" and glorified for what he did up through the march on US capital
in August 1963, but the same media types would make sure not to have
much to say about him after that and until his speech attacking the Vietnam
War. Then these media types would go after him all out. Lyndon B Johnson
would refer to that "goddamn (N word pejorative for black) preacher." Was
little bit of racism going on here? Dr King put it well when he said he had "wandered
off the plantation of race and criticized the Vietnam War." These press types
had praised Dr King when he spoke out only on civil rights especially in the
US South, but now that he was taking on the Vietnam War, US imperialism,
and militarism and racism and tying them all together, the torrent of abuse came
in a flood. These media types just didn't get it that as Dr King said, "Injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Nor that as he put it, "I've spent
too much of my life fighting segregation to start segregating my moral concerns. I'm
not going to do that." In response to these media types Dr King put it so aptly,
"The thing is I'm a Negro leader. I'm supposed to stay in my place. . ." We can
be so glad he didn't stay in "his place"-- damn glad! Dr King likewise repeatedly
had to endure violence and threats of violence until his assassination in 1968.

In Dr King's case, those high in the US Government and in such outfits as HUAC
or at the top level of the FBI wouldn't take Dr King on openly and publicly, and
they didn't have to as these media types did their hatchet job for them. Otherwise
the FBI with their director's approval, would sneak around looking through peepholes
at Dr King's love life seeking to use that to hurt him.

If the same press types had known that actually like Robeson, Dr King too was a socialist,
they would have really got their "knickers in twist" as folks say on the island of Britain.
Yes, Dr King was a socialist and said that to Caribbean writer C L R James when
insisted, "You don't hear that from me in the pulpit, do you?" "I don't say such things
from the pulpit, James, but that is what I really believe." Furthermore, what a person says
in private and in confidence pretty much is the real person." In public a leader has to
watch the words more carefully, but in private and with some, that same person will
tell it just like the leader actually sees it. This should be less of a surprise to those who
know more about the stress Dr King put on class struggle in the last part of his life and
of bringing poor whites, blacks, and others locked out by the system into a coalition to
change that system to make it better for all. Dr King's real dream wasn't just about getting
rid of Jim Crow, but about a better world for us all, about saving the US soul from damnation
of the "spiritual death" he said in that speech on the Vietnam War which the USA was
"approaching" by spending more on the military "than on programs of social uplift." Today
we still face that same stark choice.

Eartha Kitt standing up against the same insane war in 1968 in the White House and telling
the First Lady the same can't be left out. Kitt paid the price for speaking truth to power, as those
with the power sought to punish her for bringing out the truth. But she persevered as had these
others.

Jesse Jackson Sr, activist, ordained Baptist minister and like Dr King in the social gospel tradition
would break new ground with two campaigns for the presidency in 1984 and 1988, building up
support for progressive ideas and stimulating debate as well building up a grass roots progressive
movement, which is now showing some results. Blacks would get registered in massive numbers.
He would get strong showings at both 1984 and 1988 Democratic Conventions despite the fact
he didn't win. He would go on to be involved in and advocate progressive causes both at home
and abroad.

I won't attempt to list every black American who has made great contributions to this country
so numerous that they are surely way out of proportion to their percentage of the US population.

Let us pay tribute to all black Americans who through about 85 years of this country's existence
of fighting for "freedom," lived in slavery after having been brought over to this country on slave
ships in the worst of conditions, then sold off into slavery to live in chains, then to face Jim
Crowism in the South and de facto segregation and discrimination in the North, to face
lynchings in both North and South-- though with more in the South, to only get enforceable
voting rights nationally here in 1965, then face poverty and racism that stinks to high heaven,
all the while fighting in every war for the same country whose system so oppressed them, and to keep
struggling for a better life, and sometimes not just for themselves but others as well is a great
achievement for any people to have achieved. As the Medal of Honor would say it was, "above beyond
the call of duty."

Their religion, often a social gospel Baptist and AME (African Methodist Episcopal) one, their music
their poetry, and so much else in what they did in the rest of the arts letters and education and otherwise
have kept them going. Bless them. For so many times have their votes in recent times saved the rest
of this country from itself. That on other occasions too many of their white brothers and sisters been
too self indulgent, ignorant, narrow minded, self seeking, and otherwise flawed leading to the worst of
results is no fault of their own with the white vote going heavily enough the wrong way.

Today these same brave and decent black people face a bleak future even as whites begin to face
a similar yet not as dark future. For poverty, homelessness, lack of decent economic opportunity are
their lot today. Whites are now feeling some of the same from the failed neo con/far right/loony right
control by divide and rule policies. Others are also feeling the hard times.

Maybe now we can have the kind of coalition for real change for a better life for all which blacks have been
supporting for so long. That's something that would give hope for all.