Michael D. Woods

My reason for wanting to share all of this Afromation with you goes back to my grade school days in Omaha where I was introduced to the proud history of Native Americans and European contributions to America. But every time the subject Black, Negro and/or colored people came up, all I heard was the word slavery -- which made me feel naked. I was never taught that a Black American: drew up the plans for Bell's telephone invention; was the first person to reach the North Pole; became America's first female self-made millionaire; invented the 3-way stop light; organized the first blood bank; revolutionized the South's farming industry. I hope you get the picture. Before I began this project, I thought that Black History Month was the best thing since the drive-thru window at McDonalds. But now I feel like I got home and opened my bag to find no fires -- short changed. To use another analogy, we all celebrate Mother's Day, yet we don't forget about her the rest of ! the year. We've integrated schools, public transportation, lunch counters, hospitals, etc.; but American history is, for the most part, still segregated... In conclusion, we hear mostly about Martin and Malcolm who were two great men. However, as you will read, they were not the first and I hope that they won't be the last. Like Martin, I, too, have a dream -- that no Black American child will ever again have to grow up feeling naked about his/her heritage, and that every child is introduced to Our truth.