Excerpts from the Book “Eye On History”
The original book “Eye On History” was written in 1989. The updated book is now available on Amazon. The new title is “Eye On History, The Golden Collection: Articles on African and African American History – Lost History, Forgotten History.” It was published in 2021. The following is a chapter from the book.
It is very easy for history to disappear. Whoever holds the pen is in a position to record history. The phrase, “The pen is mightier than the sword” holds true when one thinks about how the history of the Black man and woman has not been adequately portrayed. You then realize that somebody, somewhere, did not bother to write the truth. The pen is a powerful weapon. It can destroy the history of an entire nation. It can destroy the history of an entire race of people. It can put those who were once on top, on the bottom of the historical ladder.
To write or not to write has been the question of time. And it tells the world that the time has come to recognize the truth that has been hidden too long. Hidden history, forgotten history, all of these terms apply to Black history. These are all considerations for us now. Men like Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Joel A. Rogers, W.E.B. Dubois, Chancellor Williams, Cheikh Anta Diop, and many others gave us the incentive and the desire to reach and continue the search for the past.
It has not been an easy task to write this column. For every trace of information that I wrote about the past of men and women of color, there remained great store houses of knowledge waiting to be explored, examined, and exhibited. The more doors I unlocked, the more knowledge I found. There is no one on this earth who has achieved a knowledge of all things. We are forever learning. We know very little. Sir Isaac Newton once said as he looked out on the ocean, that there he was picking up pebbles on the beach while the vast ocean of unexplored knowledge lay before him. This can be applied to Black history. This history is tremendous and startling to the mind.
While reading some very old books, I came across an article about a Black race of people who inhabited the Southern part of China for thousands of years. For over 2,000 years these Blacks who were called the “Nakhi” lived in China. They numbered over 200,000 people. They represented an extraordinary race. They were discovered in the 1930’s in the Yunnan Province near the border of Tibet. Dr. Joseph Rock, a Vienna-born explorer and well-known author described them as the Nakhi or Black people. An article appeared dated November 26, 1933 in the New York Times on Page 8E which described Dr. Rock’s account of these people.
Members of the Black race inhabited Europe, Asia, and America thousands of years before others knew they existed. If you read the books “Sex and Race” and “Nature Knows No Color Line” written by J. A. Rogers, then you would know that Black blood flowed all over the world and touched both royalty and common folks alike.
Author’s Note: If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book Eye On History you can call me at (716) 847-6010.