Comments on: Lisbeth Alvarez: The Importance Of Black History

By: Rocky5

Rocky5 — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 22:26:19 +0000

Why not have 8 months of Black History and 4 months of non-black history?

By: TMHsBattleAxe

TMHsBattleAxe — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 20:13:31 +0000

I feel what Lisbeth Alvarez is saying and I used to feel the same way. To me its fine to celebrate Black history in February but to continue learning about your ancestors thorough the year. Everyday can’t be a holiday. Sure its the shortest month but it was extended from Negro history week. We should take it upon ourselves to further our studies and encourage others to do so too.

By: TMHsBattleAxe

TMHsBattleAxe — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 20:05:27 +0000

Spoken like a true coloniser. All that divide and conquer talk.

By: Real Deal

Real Deal — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 19:32:57 +0000

I wonder how Bermudian kids will do on the Baby Doll test in 2018.It would be an interesting school project.

By: Warwick Beaches

Warwick Beaches — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:55:37 +0000

To answer your questions Ms. Alvarez, basically no to all of them. Ignorance is bliss. I see it more as some of our people are less academic or intellectually curious.Then there is the cases of the Onion Juices….Moving into the future more of our history will come to light and we will get a better and more accurate view of the African narrative. Black history month does a lot for inciting historical research and pushing the narrative.

By: nerema

nerema — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:47:38 +0000

That’s right. They were union workers, with 70 days sick leave and 6 weeks vacation a year. Any non-Egyptian expats had to get work permits. They all lived in adorable homes with nice gardens.
The pyramids were financed out of PPPs just like the hospital one, and not like the airport one.

By: peelpee

peelpee — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:55:56 +0000

““… that some in society benefit from through a racist system.””

Correct…the majority race in Bermuda benefits from their racism towards the minority races.
In other words, Bermuda is not a democracy.

By: zingums

zingums — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:53:45 +0000

Plain old History is undertaught in Bermuda schools. This probably says less about the subject or subjects than the institutions themselves.

By: zingums

zingums — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:35:04 +0000

“… that some in society benefit from through a racist system.”

A society in which you seem to benefit quite readily. So are you a member of the select few? If not, why do you act like it?

By: zingums

zingums — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 14:24:54 +0000

The pyramids were built by and for the biggest slaveowners in Egypt and Nubia. Or to put it differently, the royal “we” you’re claiming descendance from.

I trust from this point on you might be more forgiving of the old masters of Bermudian history (of any colour) and less denunciatory of their offspring.

By: Shari-Lynn Pringle

Shari-Lynn Pringle — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 11:05:25 +0000

Well done Lisbeth! It is always good to get an opinion from our young people however some of the things she laments are exactly why when we say Black Lives Matter someone comes out and says all lives matter. Privilege. Because of the lack of Afrikan history in our schools, we hear an opinion on Black History Month that makes it obvious that there has been no instruction to the student/s why there is a Black History Month, why it is in February and – notwithstanding this one month of recognition – that every month IS Black history month, just like every month is cancer awareness, diabetes awareness, sexual assault awareness, etc. Just like we live 365 days a year over and over again but take only one to really celebrate. I strongly advise anyone interested in learning their history from the beginning enroll in the Ashay University class Life Before Enslavement with Mwalimu Melodye Micere Van Putten. It’s an eye-opening, empowering class especially for the young black person struggling with what it means to be Afrikan every day.
PS: It still amazes me that this young person can share her face and her views yet most of the commenters still need to use an alias.

By: STRAIGHTFORWARD

STRAIGHTFORWARD — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 01:25:22 +0000

To SOUTHAMPTON:

You are tired of Black History month… not me.
What I am sick and tired of is the caucous people behaving as though they are superior. So funny. No one is above anyone else.
They raise their younguns to think and behave just like them!!
That s what I am tires of and it is sooo funny to observe.

By: Micro

Micro — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:44:59 +0000

It’s true, evidence has been found that suggests the workers that built the Great Pyramids were more than likely not slaves.

By: Mike Hind

Mike Hind — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 00:03:19 +0000

Um.. you might want to do some research on that…

By: wahoo

wahoo — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 21:23:49 +0000

Such as yourself?

By: wahoo

wahoo — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 21:21:55 +0000

Oh dear…..

By: Onion Juice

Onion Juice — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 20:27:54 +0000

There were no slaves that built the pyramids and no aliens either.

By: PBanks

PBanks — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 17:23:45 +0000

Great, an All Lives Matter type on this forum.

What you are deliberately misunderstanding is that concepts like BHM aren’t done to promote one group of people at the expense of others. In places where people of colour were essentially second-class citizens for a long period of time, concepts like this served to uplift parts of the community.

Now if you want to debate the merits of BHM in a country where the majority population is black, as opposed to having ‘black history’ highlighted throughout the year, then great.

By: Onion Juice

Onion Juice — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 16:06:22 +0000

Because we live in a society where Black People have been discredited for years and still discredited, we didnt get the recognition we deserved and most of the invetions were stolen from us. Most of the Holidays represent the white society and you lie about Christopher Columbus discovering America.
What has happened in the past is gone but our present is a result of the horrible History that some in society benefit from through a racist system.
Thats why we have BET because the mainstream entities ( Grammy’s, Oscar’s etc were not giving Black people their due diligence so we had to honour our own.
Waconda forever.

By: zingums

zingums — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 15:45:11 +0000

“Dont forget we were building the pyramids while they were learning to make fire in the Caucasus Mountains.”

So what you’re saying is, your ancestors were slaveowners.

Well colour me shocked.

By: Mike Hind

Mike Hind — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 15:42:31 +0000

Seriously?

Do you not get that EVERY month is “People History Month”?
Do you not get that Black and African history is and has always been SERIOUSLY undertaught in our schools?
Do you not get that representation matters and for a young black kind who, for most of their school year, has to learn about European and American History, that learning about their own culture might be a good thing for them?

This is an incredibly privileged position to take on your part

By: Anbu

Anbu — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 15:09:58 +0000

Only ones “conditioned” is u old farts.

By: Southampton

Southampton — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 14:33:02 +0000

I am not black or white.
Why is Black History Month so advertised?
I am so tired of it.
Actually, there should be a “People History Month”.
All people should be celebrated for what they
have accomplished over the years.

By continually expressing one race, why can’t
we express all races.

What happened in the past is gone for ever.
Let us look forward to the future and work together.
Do not discriminate the races.
Think about it.

By: peelpee

peelpee — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 14:32:36 +0000

I love your comic book version of history, OJ.

It’s anime all the way!

By: STRAIGHTFORWARD

STRAIGHTFORWARD — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 14:07:40 +0000

To Onion Juice:

Terrific and valid points you have made.
I am wanting for Miss Alvarez to climb gigantic heights: representing herself first, then representing her people after.
She is smart, capable of great things and is a very humble and respectful young lady.
My hat is off to Lisbeth…definitely amongst the brightest in her peer group!!

By: Politricks

Politricks — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 12:50:01 +0000

“To begin with, why is that we only have one month acknowledging our years’ worth of history”

Who is we? Black history month is an American thing. Not Bermuda’s.

By: Onion Juice

Onion Juice — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 12:49:47 +0000

Awesome young lady, nice to see some of our young people are not socially conditioned.

By: Onion Juice

Onion Juice — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 12:43:26 +0000

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dont forget we were building the pyramids while they were learning to make fire in the Caucasus Mountains.

By: Truth be told

Truth be told — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 12:16:39 +0000

Great article! A people without the knowledge of their past and history is like a tree without roots!