‘Commentary’ Archives
He Has His Own Mind
By MIKE HAZARD and MARTI MALTBY “As you can see, I”™m part Irish American, part African American, and part Native American,” said Vernon. I asked what nation. “My brother says Cherokee.” He thumbed through his cellphone texts looking for a picture of his Irish American great grandfather, Henry O”™Killian. He never found it. We talked. MIKE HAZARD “My father taught me to hunt,” says Vern. “We hunted to eat. Venison, bear, beaver, raccoon, and quail. We lived in southern Illinois, near the Kentucky border. I was a country boy. I”™m ready to go back.” “I was a cook in the military, a biscuit burner. Sister Rose (the founder of Peace House) hired me to cook. I cooked at Peace House for two or three months, and then I got a job as a machinist. Machinist paid more, but I liked cooking more. I cook everything. I learned a lot about cooking from ex-girlfriends. (Laugh.) Italian, Spanish, [...]
Raise Your Voice – Sisters in Spirit
By PETER MOLENAAR Last month, on delivery of the usual 40 Alley papers to the Minneapolis American Indian Center, the young woman at the desk gave access to the Two Rivers Gallery where a marvelous birch bark canoe is on display. With a twinkle, I inquired: “Who built the first canoe?” As it happened, thousands of years ago”¦. It was to be an unusually warm day for late autumn, it seemed. The Aunties exited the sweat lodge, intent upon harvesting the edge of the marsh. Straddling lengths of logs the men had hewn, they would maneuver the water without getting stuck. In tow were the water-tight baskets they themselves had made. A celebratory fire was stoked near shore for their return. In the shallow, a newborn was placed in a basket for introductions. The gentle rocking induced a contented smile, which erupted in a squeal of delight when a careful spin was applied. Naturally, the toddlers and somewhat older children converged to demand their turn. This [...]
Something I Said
By DWIGHT HOBBES What”™s the big deal? Why did we need a whole month for the history of black folk? After all, nobody else gets one. Well, for openers, calm down and console yourself that at least it was the shortest month of the year. Then, consider. Were American History college and grade school classes honest about chronicling what white people did - actually, what they didn”™t do ”“ the record would already have been set straight. Which isn”™t merely a matter of recording facts for facts”™ sake. More than being about data, as Marcus Garvey stated and Dick Gregory quoted, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Crucially, youngsters denied that knowledge have little to foster self-esteem outside models mainstream media provides, largely in sports and entertainment ”“ this includes the sorry spectacle of thug rappers brandishing a lifestyle kids [...]
