Aaron Barnhart's Blog, page 4

The founders of Black History Month fought a lonely uphill battle for decades

When Dr. Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 — now Black History Month — it was a lonely time to be a black historian.

At that time, it was nearly pointless to argue that African-American contributions to history deserved equal consideration with those made by white people.

The academy’s top history posts were all occupied by white men. And they studied the history of white people.

[image error]Today, people of all colors celebrate Black History Month.

And what we now understand is that t...

The founders of Black History Month knew their white history, too

When Dr. Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926 — now Black History Month — there were two things he couldn’t have predicted.

He couldn’t have foreseen that movie studios would use February to promote African-American films. “Black Panther” would be hugely anticipated in any month, but a February release date certainly gives it even more lift.

[image error]Something else Dr. Woodson never envisioned — that white people like me would get so much out of Black History Month.

Or that so many whi...

Henry George was Bernie Sanders 130 years ago

The Feb. 6 “American Experience” episode, “The Gilded Age,” is a lookback at the explosion of industrialism in post-Civil War America and how it exploded America’s cities as well as the bank accounts of a lucky few.

There's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with these nouveau riche — the Vanderbilts, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan ...

But then, midway through this orgy of production and consumption, the name Henry George pops up. If the Gilded Age robber barons are yesterday’s 1%, the equivalent of t...

Henry George was Bernie Sanders 130 years ago — and we’re still talking about him

Next week’s PBS “American Experience” episode is “The Gilded Age,” and is a mostly conventional lookback at the explosion of industrial progress in post-Civil War America and how it exploded America’s cities as well as the bank accounts of a lucky few.

Predictably, the program spends a lot of time detailing the lives of these nouveau riche, like the Vanderbilts, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan ...

But then, midway through this orgy of production and consumption, the name Henry George pops up — a...

Kansas City Black History highlights

So much of the African-American experience and point-of-view has been left out of our historical narratives until very, very recently, that I'm sometimes tempted to look at Black History Month as a bit of a joke.

The shortest month of the year — that's it?

Today my job was to preview Black History Month 2018 before the Greater Kansas City Broadcasters at their quarterly meeting.

Of course, I want to honor Dr. Carter Woodson and all the others who created this annual observation a century ago....

“Every month is Black History Month”

So much of the African-American experience and point-of-view has been left out of our historical narratives until very, very recently, that I'm sometimes tempted to look at Black History Month as a bit of a joke.

The shortest month of the year — that's it?

Today my job was to preview Black History Month 2018 before the Greater Kansas City Broadcasters at their quarterly meeting.

Of course, I want to honor Dr. Carter Woodson and all the others who created this annual observation a century ago....

Are we really “remembering the Holocaust”?

Something felt different about this year's Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Unlike in previous years, the 2018 UN observation came after a year in which groups that deny or belittle the slaughter of six million Jews have enjoyed a level of support not seen since before the Holocaust.

We now live in a time, as German chancellor Angela Merkel put it, when “no Jewish institution can exist without police protection, whether it is a school, a kindergarten or a synagogue.”

We Kansas Citians know that bet...

It's not enough to remember the Holocaust

Something feels different about this Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Unlike in previous years, the 2018 UN observation comes after a year in which groups that deny or belittle the slaughter of six million Jews have enjoyed a level of support not seen since before the Holocaust.

We now live in a time, as German chancellor Angela Merkel put it, when “no Jewish institution can exist without police protection, whether it is a school, a kindergarten or a synagogue.”

We Kansas Citians know that better t...

Another president who was winning

[image error]

Think this past year was a train wreck for a certain U.S. president? By any measure, the first year of Andrew Jackson’s administration was every bit as embarrassing.

“His most trusted advisors were bitterly divided; the whole government stood at a standstill. But after reviewing all of the evidence, exploring all of the charges, and hearing the testimony of witnesses, the president announced the conclusion that he hoped would place the ship of state back on course: Peggy Eaton, the wife of S...

Picks: PBS's answer to Netflix (at half the price)

For your weekend consideration ...

“The Force” (streaming at pbs.org; might be re-airing on your PBS station). "The Oakland, California, Police Department has a long history of betraying the trust of many, if not most, of the citizens it is sworn to serve. During the filming of ‘The Force,’ the OPD once again betrayed that trust in such an awful way, you might ask yourself why anyone would live in Oakland.” (My full review.)

“Two Towns of Jasper” (streaming at pbs.org through Jan. 31). “A whi...