As this is Black History Month, it seems like a good time to post an article about TheGrio, which I just learned about by accident earlier this month. Some of you, I assume, know about TheGrio, but my guess is that most of you know little if any about it.
TheGrio
is “an American television network and website with news, opinion,
entertainment and video content geared toward African-Americans.” It can be
watched free on the internet, and it is also available on local TV in many
cities across the U.S.*
TheGrio’s
name comes from griot, a Western African word that designates a musician-entertainer
who plays a vital role in preserving their people's oral traditions and
histories.
Although
I rarely watch local TV, I happened to turn on CBS on the evening of Feb. 3 and
theGrio’s Icon Awards program was being telecast. I listened with interest to
speeches by three of the Icon recipients, the three I am briefly introducing below.
Al Sharpton received the Justice Ikon Award. According to Wikipedia, Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (b. 1954) is “an American civil rights and social justice activist, Baptist minister, radio talk show host, and TV personality, who is also the founder of the National Action Network civil rights organization.”
Sharpton
has been a leading, and controversial, civil rights leader for nearly 55 years
now. He has also sought various political offices, including that of POTUS (in 2004),
but was never elected.
At the end of his theGrioAwards speech,
Sharpton said, “The only thing that I really live for is I get up with this
dream: every bigot, every racist, everyone in this country that hates will say
damn, he’s up again.”
TheGrio online article concludes, “He loves to have them know
that they can’t stop him. He loves knowing that Black resistance to oppression
is unstoppable. That’s why the Rev. Sharpton deserves the Justice Icon Award.”
Those who commemorate recent Black history
forty years from now will surely remember Al Sharpton along with many other
exemplary civil rights leaders such as him as well as the next two theGrio Ikon
Awards.
The Scientist Ikon was awarded to Kizzmekia Corbett, born in 1986 in North Carolina. In 2008, she received a B.S. in biological sciences and sociology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).**
In
2014, Corbett earned a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology at the University
of North Carolina Chapel Hill, and since June 2021 she has been an assistant professor
at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.
Corbett
was awarded the Scientist Ikon because of her great contribution to the
development of the covid-19 vaccination, which probably saved as many as five
million lives—and some sources put that figure as high as 20 million—around the
world.
Please
click
here to read the article about the reason Corbett was chosen for the
Scientist Ikon and listen to her acceptance speech last November.
The recipient of the Inspiration Ikon Award was Dwayne Johnson. I never thought I would post a blog article in admiration of a man whose main claim to fame is professional wrestling, for I am the very opposite of a fan of that “sport.”
Johnson’s
father was a Black Nova Scotian and his mother (whose first name is Mataniufeagaimaleata
(!) but she went by the name Ata) is Samoan. Both parents were professional
wrestlers.
Citing
Wikipedia again, Dwayne Douglas Johnson (b. 1972), “also known by his ring name
The Rock, is an American actor, businessman, and professional wrestler. He is…widely
regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.”
Recently,
however, Johnson has been in the news because of teaming up with Oprah to raise
and provide much-needed financial and housing relief for the many people
suffering from the Maui, Hawaii, wildfires in 2023, the deadliest U.S.
wildfires in at least 100 years.
Here is the link to
Johnson’s impressive (and brief) acceptance speech for his Inspiration Ikon,
which was also awarded in November 2023.
Black
History Month every February is an important time to recognize prominent
African Americans of the past as well as contemporary Black people of
distinction who are shaping Black history that will be remembered decades from
now.
_____
*
This is the opening sentence
of the Wikipedia article on TheGrio (often written as theGrio)—and it needs to
be updated as African-American is now not generally used as a hyphenated word
nor used as much as Black. Here is a link to theGrio’s webpage with their
explanation about themselves—and I encourage you to take a look at that website.
(Note that Grio is pronounced grī/ō.) I was a bit surprised to learn that it is
available on channel 62-2, a free local channel, here in the Kansas City area.
**
I was interested to see
that, for my granddaughter
Naomi is currently a student at UMBC.
The first comments this morning have come from Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky:
ReplyDelete"Thank you for remembering Black History Month, Leroy. I appreciate Al Sharpton for highlighting injustices, particularly for his part in raising awareness of the terrible mishandling of Breonna Taylor’s death here in Louisville."
Thank you Leroy. I was not aware of the Griot. I am acquainted w/ Rev. Al Sharpton via MSNBC. Re: Black History month, a few years ago a nephew had a burr under his saddle about Black History Month, and said, "I think we need a White History Month." I responded, "It seems to me that every month is white history month." He was silent a few seconds, then said, "Uncle Charles, I think you're right." I hope he still remembers that. With good friend and mentor Glenn Hinson, I also grieve the mishandling of Breonna Taylor's death.
ReplyDeleteQuite an informative blog post, Leroy. In Canada, February is also Black History Month. So you, and/or your readers might be interested in this link, which describes a wee bit of Black church history in Canada: https://www.wlu.ca/news/spotlights/2021/feb/freedom-and-resistance-laurier-sociologist-carol-duncan-on-the-history-of-black-churches-in-canada.html
ReplyDeleteGarth, I'm sorry I did not know that Black History Month is also observed in Canada. (I could have easily found that information, but I didn't think about it.) Thanks for sharing the link; I found the article to be of interest and informative. -- LKS
DeleteThinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago shares these comments:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for sharing the names of these individuals. I did not previously know of Kizzmekia Corbett, a very remarkable woman. Al Sharpton is very well known and so is Dwayne Johnson.
"As for wrestling, it is definitely better than boxing, the only sport I know in which the object is to physically injure one's opponent."
Thanks for reading and responding, Eric--and I much appreciate you doing that almost every time I make a blog post.
ReplyDeleteI knew of Al Sharpton, of course, but I don't remember ever previously hearing of Dr. Corbett or "The Rock" Johnson. As I wrote, I am certainly not a fan of pro wrestling, which seems to be more showmanship and a sport as such. (June and I became very interested in wrestling as a high school sport, though, as our younger son was on the high school wrestling team at the high school he went to in Tokyo, and he was quite good.
As for boxing, I have not seen (or wanted to see) a boxing match (on TV--and I certainly never saw a professional match in person) for decades. When we lived in Louisville in the 1960s, though, June and I did become "fans" of Cassius Clay, as he was first known, and watched some of his matches on TV. We were happy for his success, but we also sadly saw the physical damage he suffered after boxing for so many years.
Thank you, Leroy, for bringing us something old and something new:
ReplyDelete- A reminder of this as Black History Month, and
- An introduction to TheGrio – and Kizzmekia Corbett was new to me too.
As well as the others, these awards are new to me. Al Sharpton is no stranger nor is Dwayne Johnston. Like you I am no fan of wrestling (boxing either for that matter), but some of Dwayne's movies have been a bit entertaining though sometimes violent. Black History Month serves a significant purpose in reminding America of the part its largest racial minority has played in making it what it is. I have learned much from the PBS specials aired during the month. As for Dr. Corbett, you go, girl!
ReplyDeleteIf I have one irritation, it is that Black History Month has been greatly expanded with the emphasis upon MLK, Jr's contribution for several days beyond his birthday in January. Now we have the national holiday of Juneteenth which has little to do with the country outside of Texas. The date in NC when the announcement came of the abolition of slavery took place is quite different. These other emphases would not bother me as much if more recognition were given to the Indigenous Nations of our land. I'm all for making the date of the massacre at Wounded Knee (Dec. 29, 1890) as a day of national mourning and repentance. How about an award ceremony recognizing the contributions of members of these tribes both past and present? I'm trying not to be racist, honest!
As I said to Eric above, I knew nothing about Johnson, but I was surprised that when I mentioned him to my 16-year-old grandson Carl yesterday (he and his mother, my younger daughter Karen are visiting us here in Mo. part of this week), he knew Johnson from seeing one of his movies.
DeleteWith regard to your second paragraph, I certainly don't take what you said as being racist. But I don't think we need less emphasis on Black history or the current racial problems regularly encountered by Black people in the U.S. But I agree that there needs to be more emphasis on the history and gross mistreatment of Native Americans, and I think your suggestion of having a national day of mourning and repentance for the injustices inflicted upon Native Americans is a good one.
Bro. Leroy, I forgot to add a thank you concerning introducing me to Dr. H. C. Richardson. I have found her daily articles enlightening and articulate. She writes bluntly without adding a lot of confrontational rhetoric, something I have read too much in both the right and the left. As for my political support, Trump's rejection of any hope for peace in various parts of the world demands his rejection by every voter. Who to support as POTUS? I still cannot vote for Biden. This may be the first time since I started voting in 1968 I vote for a third party candidate.
ReplyDeleteTom, I was glad to hear that are reading and enjoying Heather Cox Richardson's newsletters. I thought her 2/22 letter was especially good, emphasizing the importance of religious freedom for all and the separation of church and state, which as a lifelong Baptist/baptist I have always thought to be of great importance.
DeleteI certainly agree wholeheartedly with you in saying that Trump demands "rejection by every voter." But I also very much disagree with your thinking that you will possibly vote for a third party candidate. I think I understand at least some of the reasons you don't like Pres. Biden, but one of the main reasons that Trump may well win the election this year is because too many anti-Trump people will not vote at all or will vote for a third party. To vote for the better of two evils is surely preferable to voting for the worse of two evils--or voting so the worse of the two might possibly win.
Like NCTom I am very torn about voting this time. Of course Trump is evil, and I will never vote for him. However, while doing fairly well on domestic issues, considering the challenges, Biden has been a disaster on foreign policy, from failing to move the US Embassy in Israel back from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv on day one to preserve some semblance of neutrality between Israel and Palestine, to a critically flawed strategy for leaving Afghanistan, to beating a war drum for Russia and Ukraine instead of seriously and quickly discussing security issues with Russia, to failing to demand that Israel limit its retaliation for October 7 to something proportionate to what happened. Instead, Biden has gone beyond failure to active support of the genocide in Gaza. His pullback has been way to small and too late. He should have been listening to Bernie Sanders and Rashida Tlaib, not to AIPAC. I am frustrated that the lesser of two evils metaphor has become so literally true. Since I am not in a swing state, I do not see why I should so restrict myself. I will definitely vote against Biden in the Oregon primary, and may vote third party in the general, which would be the first time since I started voting in 1972 I have not voted for the Democrat. (It would not be the first time I have voted against Biden in a primary, actually I never have.) I wish the Senator from Wall Street had been happy to retire a respected VP in 2017, and left the rest of the field to democracy in 2020.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Grio sounds great!
Thanks, Craig, for sharing your candid opinions about the current presidential candidates for this November's election. I understand the difference between Oregon and North Carolina. As it stands now, it seems quite certain that Biden will win the electoral votes in Oregon whether he has your vote or not. That is not the case in North Carolina, which could go either way. Tom's vote (and his friends' votes, and the votes of others who think similarly) for a third party candidate could quite possibly result in Trump garnering the 15 electoral college votes in North Carolina--and those 15 votes could possibly result in Trump being returned to the White House.
DeleteI agree with much, but not all, of what you wrote about Pres. Biden. But as I have said before, his stance on Israel is not just his personal stance. It is the position of U.S. government and has been since the U.S. under President Truman was the first nation to recognize the new nation of Israel. And I am quite sure that Hillary Clinton, if she were serving near the end of her second term as POTUS, as she could well be doing, her position would have been as strong in support of Israel as Biden's has been.
I wish you could have heard Gov. Gavin Newsom's strong praise of Biden on Meet the Press yesterday--and maybe you did. (Since it is telecast on Sunday morning, we record it to listen to later in the day.) Here is a link to a short summary of what he said:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/02/25/gov_gavin_newsom_all_in_on_four_more_years_biden_presidency_is_a_masterclass.html
Thank you for the Newsom link. I am not concerned with either Biden's age (I was for Sanders) nor his domestic record, although Democrats need to learn that GDP does not equal good living for working people. I am concerned about his foreign policy, which never gets discussed, other than in connection with the GOP crazy notion that that we should just walk out in the middle of the Ukraine war. I think Blinken did some lousy negotiations before that war, but we own it now. Here is a link about my single greatest concern: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israeli-embassy-washington-man-set-fire_n_65db9364e4b0e4346d52ce3d
ReplyDelete