Reflections on the black experience

Battinto Batts Jr., Executive Editor

Afr’am Fest, the annual gathering in Norfolk that draws upwards of 300,000 people during Memorial Day weekend, is searching for a new home or a new date. The event, which has been held at Town Point Park for two decades, had to find a new locale for this year because the Park is being renovated. Norfolk State University was to be the venue, but that was swatted down by neighbors concerned about noise, traffic and other residuals a crowd so large brings.

My prediction is that Afr’am will either pick another date or it won’t be held this year. But here is a novel thought…What about taking Afr’am to the Oceanfront? It would be fitting since this is the 20th anniversary of the Greekfest riots. That event in 1989 put a black eye on Virginia Beach and made it seem unfriendly to black folks. The Beach has been working since to be seen as welcoming to people of color, which is ironic because the Beach became a city as a result of suburban flight from inner city ills.

But before Afr’am takes itself on the road, it’s time to reconsider what it is and does. The concept of food, crafts and music, though far from negative, has become trite. It is time for Afr’am to be more than a event for revelry, you know, a place to see and be seen. I won’t profess to have all the answers, but how about: financial empowerment seminars, community conversations about the state of black youth, where to go from here now that we have a black president.

Which brings me to my other issue. I’ve been reading in several places whether we still need Black History Month. My initial response would be no. And it is not because Barack is in the White House. It’s because I think the concept, like Afr’am, has become trite. Every year, we have the same events, speeches and commemorations. Either take Black History Month to a different level or stop doing it. Black History should be taught every day in school, right along with all the other history lessons. Separating the contributions of black people risks marginalizing those great achievements and confining them to the consciousness only one month of the year.

I had a friend, Joyce Ingram, to die 11 years ago. She was an African American woman and was a deputy managing editor at The Virginian-Pilot. Her death was untimely and shocked the newsroom. We gathered at Norfolk’s Chrysler Hall for a moving memorial. But I was angered by the comments of one of my colleagues, a black man. He, too, was fond of this fallen journalist who was adept at her craft and was a mentor and guide to many. One of his first descriptions of her were “She was the highest ranking black in the newsroom.”

For me, it was like running fingernails across a chalkboard. That Joyce was black should not have been such a big deal in 1998 and it certainly shouldn’t in 2009. When we make a big deal about skin color are we saying that people succeed in spite of their skin color or despite the racism and intolerance that still exist? If it is the latter, then that should be the focus of our efforts in the classroom and the community. We should focus on tolerance and understanding. We can learn a great deal from history, but we also need to work on solving the problems of today.