Reply #79: Should African-Americans be ashamed of beng black?

[Bridget Burke]

White Americans have numerous holidays for celebrating their ethnic roots. St Patrick's day is more than a drunken spree for some of us. The other white ethnic groups all have days for celebration. Of course, some whites are ignorant of their roots. Too bad for them.

"Black" Americans rarely know their exact ethnic roots. They'd probably like to celebrate, oh, "Yoruba Day." But the slavemasters--especially here in Protestant American--consciously tried to destroy the slaves' links to African culture. And honoring African-American contributions to US culture is also worthwhile. They were here long before most of my ancestors & helped build the country we know (physically & culturally). "Flash of the Spirit" by (white) Yale professor William Farris Thompson is a good start on eliminating that nasty ignorance.

Then there's Ishmael Reed, the African-American writer who also celebrates St Patrick's Day--because he's also Irish-American.