My middle daughter–-age 7--asked me why history is important.
This question came as somewhat of a challenge to my ongoing quest to insert historical information into the lives of all my girls on a regular basis.
About 18 years ago I was introduced to scholar, historian, and teacher Dr. John Henrik Clarke via a DVD given to me by an acquaintance. After I'd watched that DVD a few times, I asked about others. More were shared with me. Then I got into one of his books.
From the beginning, there was something familiar to me about Dr. Clarke. He reminds me of elders from my neighborhood in Louisiana when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s. In fact, he reminds me so much of my maternal grandmother and would have fit right in as her older brother.
The primary difference between him and them was that he'd sought to and managed to escape the back-breaking labor cycle that the South forced on him and those of his generation, color, and class. He broke free of the mundane system of oppression and injustice and went on a quest for knowledge.
Dr. Clark possessed and shared freely so much information. The wisdom has greatly impacted my understanding and thinking. His natural humor always had the best timing and has often left me in tears from laughter.
I’m very thankful to be a consumer of his various speeches and lectures so many years after his death and appreciate the legacy he left behind that allows me to be a better history teacher to my own children.
*****
History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is also a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. History tells a people where they have been, what they have been, where they are, and what they are. Most importantly, history tells a people where they still must go, what they still must be. The relationship of history to the people is the same as the relationship of a mother to her child. –Dr. John Henrik Clarke
I did not have children when I first came into Dr. Clarke’s teachings. Quite honestly, I had never even considered a context in which I would be talking to any children I might have in the future about our history, world history. What I did know was that any information I shared would be based in truth. The truth.
Recently I’ve gotten back into Dr. Clarke’s lectures and am again experiencing a deepening of understanding. My daughter’s question about the importance of history came at a time when I was well-prepared to give her a thoughtful reply. That reply was the culmination of so many experiences over the years. It was also a reflection of his teachings. The contributions of Dr. Clarke have been a great influence on my capacity to impart historically important information to my girls as they grow and come to an understanding of themselves and the world.
Below is the first video I ever saw featuring John Henrik Clarke. I watched it on a DVD. Many before me had it on VHS tape. It’s good to see it online now.
I would be slow to criticize Dr. Martin Luther King. He was brave enough to put his life on the line for what he believed. We are still here talking. That’s proof enough of his bravery over ours.
All knowledge in the world belongs to everybody in the world.
When you don’t read history, anybody can tell you anything.
Freedom is something you take with your own hands. You do not inherit it from a will. It is not handed down from one generation to another. When you get it, you must resecure it in your own times with your own hands. Freedom is never secure, and you can never take it for granted. It’s a precious substance.
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