Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


click to enlarge

Where I unashamedly steal a proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln made on this day, September 22, in the year 1862.

My source:

http://www.nytimes.com/...

Well, here we are again.  We’ve reached a turning point both in history, and in the passage of time.  Today (January 1, 2007) we mark the beginning of a New Year, signifying a fresh start.  

We also mark the observance of 144 years since President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing approximately 4,000,000 slaves.

For more than 30 years, my father, the late Wilkie Clark in his capacity as President of Randolph County’s NAACP, took on the personal responsibility of seeing to it that an Emancipation Day Observance was staged in Randolph County (Alabama), annually.  He upheld the teaching of the NAACP, that in order to experience racial progress, black people needed these constant annual reminders of their journey from enslavement and oppression to liberation.

As I write this diary, I am preparing to leave my home to journey to yet another Emancipation Proclamation Service.  Wilkie Clark

This morning, an AP article brought out the schoolmarm in me. There’s such little awareness of American history on the part of so many in this country, that this story ticked me off to the point of having to share my thoughts. So, here goes:

The AP reported that the US government has plans to revise many of the civics questions asked of immigrants as part of the process of becoming American citizens.

The article cited one of the questions on the present test as being: What was the Emancipation Proclamation? It then explained that current applicants need to know that it freed the slaves.

NO IT DID NOT.