CLEARLAKE >> “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, sing a song full of the hope that the present brought us. Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, let us march on till victory is won.”
Those words, written by James Weldon Johnson in 1921, are from the song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing (aka the Negro National Anthem)” and have been sung for decades at civil rights marches and in African American churches throughout America..
Wednesday the song was sung by the nearly 50 people to open the Black History Month event at Yuba College’s Woodland Community College, Clear Lake Campus. It was sponsored by the school’s Clear Lake Associated Students.
Feature speakers were Voris Brumfield, an expert on Black History Month, and Randall Cole, author and certified drug and alcohol abuse counselor. The event also included a Southern soul food meal prepared by the culinary students of the college’s Aromas Cafe.
The theme of the two speakers was that despite many victories, the Civil Rights movement is far from over and more action is needed, especially on a personal level, to end racism, discrimination and hate.
Brumfield grew up in Houston in the 1950s, a time when schools were segregated. She moved to Middletown in 1975 where she has lived for the past 40 years.
She said people in mostly white Lake County are “…very open and willing to be supportive of each other,” adding that African Americans “…add to the tapestry of this county.”
The long-time Middletown resident spoke about the Civil Rights movement and its evolution from the ‘50s to today. She praised and thanked the attendees, saying that they are part of the movement for change and equality.
Cole said he was honored to be at the event and told the audience, “By being here you acknowledge part of my history.”
He used a three-foot long cardboard fence to illustrate that when it comes to racism and discrimination, there are two sides to the fence. Half of the fence was labeled “negative” and the other half “positive.”
“You can’t sit on the fence,” he said. “You have to choose a side. The bottom line is you are either a racist or you’re not. We each have to decide.”
His suggestion: “Put yourself on the positive side of the fence.”
Cole added, “Change is good. Change will happen today. You are not here by chance. You are here because you want change.”
Change, a key message of his talk, is needed to correct the discrimination and racism that still exists in this country, he said. Since the 1950s, racism has gone from being open to more underground and subtle.
He said the “old ways” of dealing with America’s racial problems no longer work and new and innovative ways to combat racism, discrimination and hate are needed. He also said changes need to be made in the way U.S. history is taught.
“Black history is American history,” he said. “We have got to stop playing Russian roulette with this race thing or one of these days we are going to pull the trigger.”
He added, “We can join together as a people and say we’re not doing discrimination, we’re not doing hate. The key is love.”
Woodland student Thomas Peterson of Clearlake Oaks is a member of the Choctaw Nation and attended the event. He likened the historical plight of African Americans in this country, including slavery, to crimes and atrocities committed against Native Americans.
“We all come from the same tragedy,” Peterson said. “Native Americans were enslaved in America in the early 1800s. Even after slavery was abolished, there were still a lot of Native American slaves.”
He also said Native Americans need more recognition. “We have Black History Month, Columbus Day, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. What about a day for Native Americans?”
Cole, author of “Felonies Before Birth,” left the audience with a call to action. “I challenge every one of you guys to take some of your positive energy out into the community.”
