JEDDAH, 18 February 2004 — The US Consulate General hosted an African-American poetry session on Sunday to mark the annual Black History Month.
More than a dozen Americans joined Consul General Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley in reading the works of African-American poets.
“We celebrate Black History Month every February and the enthusiasm of participants present here explains the day’s significance,” Abercrombie-Winstanley said. “African-American History Month is a reaffirmation of struggle and determination to change attitudes and heighten the understanding of the African-American experience,” she pointed out.
The consul general read “Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou, a poet, historian, author, actress, playwright, civil rights activist, producer and director. “The 74-year-old African-American poet is a Pulitzer Prize winner and, at the request of President Bill Clinton, she wrote and delivered a poem at the 1993 presidential inauguration,” the consul general explained.
Poems by other African-American poets were also read. They included Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “He Had His Dream,” Claude McKay’s “If We Must Die” and “The White House,” James M. Whitfield’s “The Forerunners” and Etheridge Knight’s “The Idea of Ancestry.” Stephen L. Carter and Cleage Pearl were also among poets whose works were read.
Today this national and international observance has expanded to encompass the entire month of February. Civil rights laws and celebrations such as Black History Month have exposed the legal consequences of discriminatory practices and racial harassment. Behavior can be controlled by laws, national and international, but attitudes can only change through education and the elimination of ignorance.
