Rebuttal: The Smithsonian's Whiteness Poster
Taken from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a publicly funded museum.
These Rebuttals are my responses to current events which i disagree with. They will come with at least twice the sources which the opposing side has utilized
Okay, have we gone completely insane here? This is the Klansman’s wet dream for what African Americans are supposed to believe, and the ironic thing is that this was on display by an organization created to show all of the most important merits of African American accomplishments! I was trying to think of the proper way to rebut this amazingly racist poster, but i believe that the best way to do so would be to ask some of the leaders of the past for assistance. So:
Rugged Individualism:
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” — Frederick Douglass
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” — Lena Horne“
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” — Booker T. Washington
“I believe in destiny. But I also believe that you can’t just sit back and let destiny happen. A lot of times, an opportunity might fall into your lap, but you have to be ready for that opportunity. You can’t sit there waiting on it. A lot of times you are going to have to get out there and make it happen.” Spike Lee
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.” — Maya Angelou
‘The harder you work, the luckier you get’’ — Mike Adenuga
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” — Muhammad Ali
“I built a conglomerate and emerged the richest black man in the world in 2008 but it didn’t happen overnight. It took me 30 years to get to where I am today. Youths of today aspire to be like me but they want to achieve it overnight. It’s not going to work. To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big. In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is supreme.” — Aliko Dangote
“Dedicate yourself to a core set of values. Without them, you will never be able to find personal fulfillment, and you will never be able to lead effectively.” — Kenneth Chenault
“Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.” — Marva Collins
Family Structure:
“The group consisting of mother, father and child is the main educational agency of mankind.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
“Every father bears a fundamental obligation to do right by their children,” - Barrack Obama
“Fathers and sons arrive at that relationship only by claiming that relationship; that is by paying for it. If the relationship of father to son could really be reduced to biology, the whole Earth would blaze with the glory of fathers and sons.” - James Baldwin
Scientific Method:
Inventions Made by African Americans include, but are CERTAINLY not limited to:
AEROPLANE PROPELLING
BISCUIT CUTTER
FOLDING BED
COIN CHANGER
ROTARY ENGINE
CAR COUPLER
LETTER BOX
STAINLESS STEEL PADS
TORPEDO DISCHARGER
DISPOSABLE SYRINGE
HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
CORN PLANTER
COTTON PLANTER
IRONING BOARD
STREET SWEEPERS
HORSE BRIDLE BIT
HORSESHOE LAWN MOWER
TYPEWRITER
TRAIN-ALARM
RADIATION DETECTOR
PEANUT BUTTER
PAINTS AND STAINS
LOTIONS AND SOAPS
AUTOMATIC FISHING REEL
ICE CREAM MOLD
ENVELOPE SEAL
PRESSURE COOKER
WINDOW CLEANER
PENCIL SHARPENER
FIRE EXTINGUISHER
MACHINE LUBRICATORS
Keep in mind that none of these inventions could have been created without the “evil” rational thinking skills used by those who use the Scientific method.
History:
Despite the fact that there is an entire month devoted to Black History Month and entire Historically Black Universities in America, here are nine books written by African American authors which are read across college campuses today:
Harriet A. Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written By Herself
Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in an Age of Colorblindness
James Weldon Johnson, Along This Way: The Autobiography of James Weldon Johnson
W.E. B. Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America: An Essay Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860-1880
Deborah Gray White, Ar’n’t I a Woman?: Female Slaves in the Plantation South
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (my personal favorite in the list!)
Robin D. G. Kelley, Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination
Stephanie Camp, Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South
Julius S. Scott, The Common Wind: Currents of Afro-American Communication in the Era of the Haitian Revolution
Of these nine authors, none of them gave a heavy emphasis on the British empire and focused more on the history of those around them. Five were self-taught, and four of those five were fluent in both Latin and Greek. All of these books had heavy emphasis on Judeo-Christian values.
Work Ethic:
“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X
“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” — Beyoncé
"Never ever chase money. You should chase success, because with success money follows." — Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones
“Five days a week, I read my goals before I go to sleep and when I wake up. There are 10 goals around health, family and business with expiration dates, and I update them every six months.” — Daymond John
Conclusion:
Now these may be chocked up to my whiteness showing, their regressed whiteness showing, and the systematic whiteness of this white society oppressing the blackness of the - okay, pause! If i finished that sentence, even though most would be able to understand that it was CLEARLY PARODY, i would still worry about someone burning my house down! My point in all of this is a simple one: this poster and the Smithsonian of African American History has permanently ruined it’s reputation with this stance, and even though it has removed the poster, the article for which the poster was based is still on the website, which you can read here. In addition, should they take it down, you can find a pdf copy here. My personal opinion is that, as long as they are publicly funded, the Smithsonian should not be allowed to display such polarized, ignorant, and simply untrue opinions. Now, if their funding was cut, I’d be totally fine with them saying whatever they please.