the museum of the african diaspora. the national coalition of 100 black women, san francisco chapter. the it san francisco chapter of the links inc.. let us give them a round of applause. [applause] these are all code-presenters of this event. it is a portrait these organizations are here. the theme for black history this month is black women in american culture and history. all these organizations are organizations of black women who do an outstanding and amazing job. i would also like to acknowledge members of the official family, supervisor malia cohen, supervisor, fifth district, supervisor chu, supervisor olague, and supervisor weiner. i am going to miss some people. we have port commissioner kim brandon with us today. [applause] and a host of others. i am sure i will get the names as they come up. i would like to thank you for being here, and welcome. we are going to start the program with an indication by reverend carolyn dyson. reverend dyson, who is going to do the indication for us, also has the signal honor o

>> i had heard african 6/8 rhythm.ythm, you can dance to it if you are a two or 90. ♪ i wanted the melody to represent the northern part of africa. ♪ banality would represent the north. that is how it was. -- the melody would represent the north. we had some great percussionists from south carolina. that is how i created african cookbook. we had such a great saxophonist, we would say, cook book, cook. >> randy weston, a legendary pianist coming here on democracy now! -- , here on democracy now! ♪ this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. we continue with randy weston. percent down on stage at the tribeca performing arts center. >> you go to africa in 1961. where did you go? >> nigeria. there were 29 of us. the first pilgrimage to go home to the motherland. some of these people were geoffrey holder, myself, eight members of while hampton's band. this was with an organization called the american society of african culture. they used to bring african artists to new york. ethiopian painters, singe

when we talk about african- american history, we are talking about african american history not as a separate and distinct history, but as an integral part of history -- the history of san francisco, the history of the united states, and of the world. we cannot think about this broader concept of history without understanding the role and contributions people of african descent have played in this broader statement of what history is. this is true not only for people of african descent, but all people. we are all part of history. "we present from the african american perspective is simply that -- a perspective of history that helps fill up that picture. without the understanding of these covers perspectives, it is difficult to fully appreciate our true history. i am doing the best i can appear. -- up here. i guess we should have some of three stanzas a couple of times. [laughter] we also have ms. jackson with us. a pleasure to have you with us. in your programs, there is also a flier in your programs. it is on the flip side of "lift every voice and sing." it is a flier about a progra

he is right that a number of african-americans, a great number of african-americans freed themselves long before the emancipation proclamation was issued by going to the union lines, yes, the emancipation proclamation is not the first effort to make black people free. the first consultation act helps with that, the second consultation act helps with that as well. but what the emancipation proclamation does is give african-americans hope, because when they hear about it, they understand that the most powerful man in the nation has now sided with them. they already thought of this war as one for their liberation, and now you have lincoln issuing the proclamation, and they're seeing this as the most powerful man in the country is now on our side. if we can make it to the union lines now, we truly will have our freedom. because before that, even though they made it to the union line, they couldn't be certain how they were going to be treated, and, in fact, some of them did leave and came back home. it was an interesting backward and forward movement, you know, across the confederate line

we have to partner with our youth and african-american parents and communities and african american owned businesses. all that has to be done together. i will commit to you -- [applause] this is not to me just a celebration. although very important to recognize. it is an ongoing way that we do business and think and live in the city. we live in partnerships. we help -- to lift each other. i get that opportunity as the first asian mayor. it is my turn to help lift up the african-american community and find talent where it is and create hope and make sure we're all safe at the same time where we're becoming successful. at this time, i want to lie in partnership ask our supervisor malia cohen to come up and share this proclamation presentation. . we're going to present it well deserving proclamation proclaims this black history month but i am giving it to someone that iowa's held in great esteem and had a chance to work with him on understanding better the history but also even engaging him in research we did a few years ago to discover and uncover where those banks across the country, what

you all remember these african-american regiments were not invited. they were part of the victory. president lincoln said he could not have won the war without them yet they ordered these men to the south when the victory march started. so we're going to correct that great wrong in history and we're going to also correct another great wrong in history and that is that virtually every state in the south had regiments that remained loyal to the union army. the state of tennessee had 36,000 soldiers who remained in uniform. they didn't commit treason and try to rebel against their union. nobody ever says anything about them. and so what we hope is that in this grand march down pennsylvania avenue elements of those regiments will march with us in the victory march down pennsylvania avenue. i want all of you all to help us in the whole states. this was a great period of american history. it made america a good place for everybody to live. let me say congresswoman norton, she'll appreciate this, i was in alabama back in march speaking to a very large integrated group talking about how i

the national museum of african-american history andca to me, copper son or scarlet seed, jungle track, strong, bronze men. women from whose loins i sprang when the birds of eden sang. one or three centuries removed from the land your father loved. spicy groves and cinnamon trees. what is africa to me? i too sing america. i'm the darker brother. when company would come they would send me to the kitchen. but that's all right. i'd fast go to the kitchen, i'd eat and grow fast. tomorrow, i'd be at the table. company would come, and they i . and no one could ever send me to again. yes, remember, i too sing america my country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee i sing. this may be the land of thems' the land where my mothers and fathers died so let freedom ring. ring -- [ applause ] -- yes, let freedom ring. ring for the ring for the pro arriving on a nightmare. dream where man no other man will scorn. will love will bless the earth and peace has passed the dawn. dream where all were walk in freedom's way. and dream of a world where

very few african-american students. and did feel very out of place from the very beginning, although she did have friends there. but we just felt that she needed to come home, and, you know, perhaps try howard. and she did. she did very well there. and is still there. she's working there now. >> in the end, do people want to be with their own? >> i think most people would like the opportunity to be wherever they would like to be. i don't know that we're necessarily more comfortable being with our own. i think that most of us would like to be able to dabble in both worlds. we would like not to restrict ourselves. if we want to be in a cafeteria and sit next to white students, we should be able to do that without feeling guilty, without feeling that we're betraying our own. that to me is a bit odd. so, yeah, i think that most would love to just be able to have the opportunity to be where we -- >> so, it's a choice. >> absolutely. >> i want to go back to professor dilorenzo. by the way, how is he viewed by the lincoln -- h

you have african, the zebra rug and african materials. you've got the kind of chair that symbolizes the kind of king chair. but you also have the sword and the rifle and the pike as the way to say that violence will be met with violence. for the black panther party, their notion was that they will do what needs to be done in order to force america to change. and so i think that being able to have this, which really has the sort of wonderful quotation that really does speak about the black panther party's commitment to their community, their desire to demand of police to not violently intimidate the african-american community, and plus the notion of the black panther being an animal that is strong and aggressive and will defend itself really sent a message for many people that a nonviolent way of change wasn't enough to change america. when i came back to the smithsonian in 2005, shortly thereafter katrina hit new orleans. one of the things that i realized is that new orleans was devastated, often the african-american community bore the br

during that 20 a year absence of african americans from congress civil rights legislation for african americans about the south and the north was all but ignored. washington was a segregated city. the federal government was segregated by custom, if not statute. there were a few members of congress who carry the mantle of racial justice confronting their colleagues and issues that were important to black americans. the naacp, which was founded in 1909 and its executive secretary worked closely with a few members in the house to secure passage of an anti lynching bill in the early 1920's, but that bill died in senate. this gentleman behind me was one of the advocates and one of -- for african-americans. george white from north carolina had introduced legislation a result that would have punished southern states for disenfranchising blacks, and is derived from the 14th amendment. >> proposed legislation that required congress to penalize states that sought to disqualify eligible voters by subtracting the number of people who were disenfranchised from the totals there were used to determi

as african-americans, as many african-americans have been elected to congress since 1990 as were elected the entire period between 1870 and 1990. from 1870 the first african-americans, a senator from mississippi, joseph rainy from south carolina, a member in the house. so that's a tremendous amount of change. and what i'd like to do today is to help you better understand some of the earlier context of this story. representative dellums certainly is an authority on what's happened in the modern era. so what i'd like to do is prepare you for his talk by talking about some of the pioneers, some of the early representatives and senators who came along and made the changes that have happened in our lifetimes possible. and to do that, i want to refer to a publication which we published in 2008, "black americans in congress," and we're going to use our web site behind me to illustrate that. erin from our office is going to drive the bus on that and highlight some of the individuals i'll be mentioning. this book was published this 2008. the web site features some things not available in the book

the local chapter of that group is what is now known as the african-american cultural and historicalociety. so it's an honor. we've been doing this for many, many years and it's great to see so many faces out here today. right now what i'd like to do is thank our partners and acknowledge them for their participateation. the san francisco public library much the california cultural arts program and we couldn't do it without the good folks in the mayor's office of neighborhood services. what i'd like to do now is strue -- shall truce -- intro duce tanish hollins from the mayor's office of neighborhood services. >> good amp, family. happy black history month. could we hear it one more time? [applause] >> we are so honored to be here. we look forward to this every year. it's a hall mark event for the city and county of san francisco. an opportunity to reflect on the many, many contributions of african-americans in this city and how each of us has changed the gee graval and cultural landscape of this city. how fitting that we celebrate black history month today, which is also the same as

the director of the national museum of african ame history and culture and his staff.a general corporate and individual donors who have taken a dream deferred and helped it find its place in history. this is an end but also a beginning. there is still much work to do. sit us down through the ages. we must call up on the courage of those who were in the struggle long before any of us were born. we must tell the story, the whole story 400 year story of african american contribution to this nation's history from slavery to the present without anger or apology. the problem we face today as a nation make it plain, make it clear that there is still a great deal of pain that needs to be healed. story told in this building, speak the truth that has the power to set an entire nation free. revealed the oldest lesson of liberty, justice and a true democracy to us all. i look forward to the day when i can ample through the exhibit, search through the archives, participate in a program and rest my tired feet in a cafe and get laws of history inside the granite wall of an idea whose

history and culture african-american.opper sun or scarlet sea? jungle star, jungle track, strong, bronze men or regal black. women from whose loins i strong when the birds of eden sang, one, three centuries removed from the land his father loved. spicy grove and cinnamon tree, what is africa to me? yet beloved, i too, sing america. i'm the darker brother. when company would come they would send me to the kitchen, but that's all right. i'd laugh, go to the kitchen. i'd eat and grow fat. tomorrow, i did the table. company would come, and they would see how beautiful i am and no one would ever send me to the kitchen again. yes, but leff ed, i too, too sing america. moi country 'tis of thee, this may be the land of the pilgrim's pride, and it's also the land where my mothers and fathers died so let freedom ring. >> yes, let freedom ring. ring for the ashanti, ring for the crew arriving on a nightmare, yet praying for a dream. dream a world, beloved where no other man was scorned where love would spread, and dream a world belo