Black History Month - "and Yet, Without Heirs, Memory is Meaningless"

It's time for Black History Month! I saw Angela Davis talk the other day, and it reminded me that this, the shortest month,+
is, in fact, dedicated to the history of Black Americans.
Now, I know little about strictly political American history, so most of what I know about Black Americans is musical history. It goes without saying that Black people have contributed their fair share to other aspects of this American life++;
but I have been very busy and so have heard, in the main, about musical contributions.

+Angela Davis told us that it used to be called 'Negro History Week', then 'Black History Week', now 'BHM'. Just saying: both points (name, and duration) are relevant.

++Not the radio show "This American Life"; I'd wager Black people have done very little to contribute to that show. Call it a hunch.

The Young Folks - Jackson 5


Okay, you all were way into so-called "HOPE" recently: this song's for you. It basically is exactly how Obama got elected. (If you missed the details of that, don't worry- this song sums it up in just under 3 hummable minutes.)
It's the Jackson 5 doing what everyone else did during the 70's/late 60's: they got political. This track's all about not letting The Man tell you what to do anymore: they're "marching with signs" even! That line gave me pause at first; watch:

"We're marching with signs
We're standing in lines, yeah, yeah
Protesting your rights
...
to turn out the lights, in our lives"

Oh -I see- your protesting the way they mess up your lives! You aren't protesting RIGHTS as such. Cos, that's a really radical political position. Even more radical when you consider that Michael is only 12 or so when he sings this...
He's fifty now, by the by: talk about your history!



The quote from the title is from Nietzsche, okay, so please excuse the seeming pessimism. I'm not pessimistic that Americans won't/don't have 'heirs'; that is, have a legacy ahead of them. Am I optimistic, then?
That's my little secret!: Blogs aren't suited to talking about yourself, obviously!
(That's why Michael Jackson doesn't have one- he's on Twitter)