WASHINGTON–Caring for the young; breaking the barriers that divide African Americans along class, age and gender lines; and taking responsibility for the future were the themes of February’s Black Issues in Higher Education videoconference, which was: designed as a celebration of African American history.
The tone of The Wisdom of the Elders was set by twenty-five-year-old Rev. Jamal Bryant, national youth and college director for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Bryant opened the program with an anecdote about a young man at a highway toll booth. When the young man reached into his empty pockets searching in vain for away to pay, the booth operator told him to go ahead through, for the toll had already been paid by those who had passed ahead of him.
“The only way we’re able to sing `We Shall Overcome’ is because somebody else helped us come over,” Bryant said. “We must always remember that, as we are going on to this next millennium, we didn’t get here on our own. Somebody prayed for us, somebody sacrificed for us…. We must always remember to say thanks.”
Panelist John W. Franklin, son of renowned historian John Hope Franklin, reminded the audience that in order for young African Americans to feel gratitude toward previous generations, they must first know their history. He suggested that children should begin by listening to the personal histories of their adult relatives, neighbors and friends. That is the way he first developed an appreciation for African American history. Jonah Edelman, son of Marian Wright Edelman and executive director of National Stand for Children, recalled how a road trip he once took with his mother through the South heightened his appreciation for the legacy he has inherited and helped fortify his own sense of purpose.
Edelman and Bryant agreed that one of the biggest challenges for their generation is building community. In response to a question about whether the panelists were part of the Black bourgeoisie, Bryant said such labels only serve to pit African Americans against one another.
