I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
— Langston Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers
The soil of Africa birthed humanity; our existence predates and transcends the confines of whiteness. Black history did not begin with European conquest nor the Atlantic Slave trade. While it is important to highlight the systemic oppression and injustices Black people have faced both throughout history and the present, solely focusing on adversities makes it so that Blackness only exists in relation to white people, stripping the entire diaspora of its complexities. Black artists, such as Langston Hughes, have worked to shift the narrative of Black identity away from centering whiteness. In his poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” the speaker takes the form of a collective Black consciousness within themselves, as seen through the repeated use of “I,” and traces the diaspora across history and geography emphazing the long and rich legacy of the Black identity. The symbolism of rivers throughout this poem is used as a means of both connecting the scattered African diaspora and linking it to the foundations of human history. Black history is more than the oppression faced by the race; it is also about the accomplishments and influence of Black people throughout time. What it means to celebrate Black history is to honor all that Black people have done in spite of the systems that have tried to repress them.
Growing up, most of the Black history taught in my school was about the Atlantic Slave Trade. I guess it would be surprising if the historical achievements of Black people were prioritized in Howard, WI, a town characterized by its lack of diversity. My school district did not simply ignore Black achievements, they ignored the race as a whole. While the faculty pretended that Black people did not exist, the kids around me became painfully aware of the race. A constant stream of N-words came out of these white children’s mouths, and they did little to censor themselves in front of teachers. Rather than using the countless opportunities to correct this behavior and mold non-racist adults, our teachers ignored the blatant use of slurs throughout our school. Naturally, this environment would confuse a Black child and instill a sense of inferiority within them. Thankfully, I was able to escape this with the guidance and teachings of my mother. While she had little choice where we lived, my mother was able to control my perception of myself and dismantle any inkling of internalized racism. She did so by emphasizing the excellence of the Black race and our continuous triumph in the face of systemic oppression.
Pseudo-scientists and racist political leaders have promoted the notion that Black people are inherently inferior to their white counterparts. This belief is deeply ingrained in the foundations of the United States and has upheld the systematic oppression and violence enacted on Black Americans. Founding Father Thomas Jefferson — ironically the man who wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal” — stated in “Notes on the States of Virginia” within Query XIV, that Black people “in imagination are dull, tasteless, and anomalous … Never yet could I find that a black had uttered a thought above the level of plain narration; never saw even an elementary trait of painting or sculpture.” Jefferson is clearly wrong in light of the monumental achievements Black people were making at the time of his statement. Benjamin Banneker, a formerly enslaved man who was a renowned mathematician, astronomer, and writer, responded to Jefferson’s notes in 1791. Banneker highlighted Jefferson’s hypocrisy and countered his statement by using his achievements as proof of the intelligence and capabilities of the Black race. Banneker’s work led him to accurately predict celestial events such as the 1789 solar eclipse; he constructed the U.S.’s first fully functioning clock and played a vital role in the development of the original boundaries of Washington D.C. Banneker was able to achieve all of this because of his passion and dedication.
Banneker is not an anomaly — he is one of countless Black people who were ingenious, imaginative, and excellent. The first successful heart surgery was performed by a Black man in 1893, Dr. Hale Williams. Dr. Williams became the chief surgeon of Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington D.C. During his career, according to Columbia Surgery, he made it a priority to break down the barriers Black doctors faced. “In 1895, he helped to organize the National Medical Association for black professionals, who were barred from the American Medical Association,” according to a biography from Columbia Surgery. Williams’s contributions to the medical field remain essential to breakthroughs made in modern medicine. During a period where education was inaccessible to Black women, figures such as Dr. Gladys West broke down oppressive barriers and excelled in their fields of study. Dr. West worked in the U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory as a mathematician, being one of four Black employees. During her time at the U.S. Naval Weapons Laboratory, she played a vital role in developing GPS. Pre-colonial African civilizations were filled with innovative architecture. In East African coastal regions, Swahili architecture in particular was elaborate and the subject of interest for anthropologists and sociologists. For instance: “Between the 9th and 10th centuries, a large, elaborate building (labeled ‘Unit M’) was constructed that contained a stone foundation and a stone veranda of coral rag. The structure appears to have an orthogonal layout, and its function was likely secular.” Swahili architecture remains prevalent to this day, being praised for both its architectural genius and artistic merit.
Along with excelling in the fields of science and mathematics, Black people have also played vital roles in shaping the arts. Artists who are deemed “the greats,” such as Pablo Picasso, drew a great deal of inspiration from African art — of course, without proper credit. Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” is undeniably inspired by the angular style found in African sculptures and masks. The fame and status of Picasso’s art are a testament to Western hypocrisy. African art has been stripped of its complexity and deemed primal and savage until artists such as Picasso gave the style value. Black influence can also be traced to the creation and popularity of nearly all music genres. It is well known that jazz, the blues, and hip hop originated from Black Americans. Less known is that rock and roll was created by Black Americans. The genre emerged from a combination of African American music styles, such as the blues, gospel, swing, and jazz. Often referred to as “The Godmother of Rock and Roll,” Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the 1930s and ’40s blended sacred gospel lyrics with the electric guitar, essentially creating the rock and roll style more than a decade before it gained popularity. The influence of Black musicians is often forgotten due to the erasure of these Black figures and the oversaturation of white people within the genre.
Within the Black identity exists great depths and cultural richness. As Langston Hughes points out, “I’ve known rivers as ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins.” The Black identity is more than a history of oppression; it also contains scientific breakthroughs, artistic ingenuity, and cultural influences. To confine Black history to slavery and colonialism is to deny the complexity of the race and to reinforce notions, such as Jefferson’s, that Black people are inherently inferior and incapable of greatness. It is incredibly important to emphasize when discussing and teaching Black history to examine the systematic oppression faced by Black people while also emphasizing the achievements of the race. Black people are aware of the systems that repress us, and only hearing about that becomes very disheartening.
