ONE AFRICAN AMERICAN’S EXPERIENCE LIVING IN TEXAS IN THE 1950S, 1960s AND 1970s
As black history month quickly approaches, I have been asked, “Why have a black history month?” I would answer by saying to remind us of the roles Black Americans played in our history. Most know that Admiral Robert Peary was the first American to reach the North Pole in the late 1890s. Few ever knew that Mr. Matthew Alexander Henson, a black man, arrived along side of him. Before Admiral Peary died in 1920, he had numerous accolades bestowed on him for his expeditions. It was not until April 6, 1988 that it was acknowledged that Mr. Henson arrived along side of Admiral Peary.
Many never knew that back in the 1960’s a man named Gordon Parks was one of the first black movie directors and a pioneer in that art. He paved the way for black movie directors like Spike Lee, John Singleton and Forrest Whitaker. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Parks in 1968 when he was in my hometown filming a movie called “Ledbetter.’ They filmed around Colored Town where I lived and at the old jail.
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