BY: Vincent L. Hall
You Black folk get plenty of use on social media for all the wrong reasons. Y’all out there wildin’ out about foolishness.
Other than offering birthday wishes or congratulations for milestones in the lives of yourself or your family, you really don’t dig deep enough to stay ahead of the curve.
I’m not preaching, I’m testifying. Between all the BS I see on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, I miss some stuff too.
Parenthetically, I wouldn’t look at X, formerly Twitter, if they announced that Elon Musk was financially bankrupt. We already know that he is morally insolvent and beyond deficient.
So the other day, while researching, this Black America 250 kept popping up. Now you know we Black folks automatically think we know everything about anything Black. But this one threw me. Let me give you the Cliff Notes version via their own website.
“Black America 250 is a National Media & Marketing Initiative Commemorating the USA’s Semiquincentennial. Titled “250 Years of Black America: We Built This,” the initiative will feature a series of national conversations, educational programming, and intergenerational history projects that connect elders and youth in preserving and sharing the stories that have shaped Black America and this nation as a whole.
The campaign will highlight our resilience, innovation, and the leadership of Black communities across generations and regions of the country.
The observance will culminate in a national celebration and convening in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2026, aligning with the nation’s semiquincentennial and affirming that “Black history is American history.”
There are four pillars by which this initiative hopes to raise awareness and activity in the African American communities.
Civic Leadership is the first, and its goal is to unify the voices of elected officials, community and business leaders, as well as our historical institutions, to preserve the rich history and contributions we have made to this nation.
Pillar two is the Elders-to-Youth initiative, which will include an intergenerational storytelling and oral history component. You know we need that.
You ain’t had an invitation to the family reunion since Big Mama died. The concept has lots of merit.
Legendary treasures are up next, and this will encourage recognition of living legends in our midst. Trump America has shown us that we must write and digest our own history.
Otherwise “they” will recant, revise, and repurpose it to fit their narrative of superiority and sainthood.
The fourth and final pillar is the Travel Black America 250 program. African American history and heritage can be found in cities and towns all across America.
Maybe you and the kids can’t afford first-class tickets to Washington, D. C. However, for the cost of tickets and theme park incidentals, you can drive them to places right here in Texas and teach them what we have been through.
Jonathan and Corey Maples made me promise to attend an event held recently in the historic Elm Thicket (pronounced ell’um) neighborhood. Unfortunately, my other entanglements made me miss it.
Few of us knew that the place and proximity right outside Elm Thicket we know as Love Field Airport is a historical marker of sorts.
The original Hilliard Golf Course was a 65-acre municipal course for Black golfers that operated near Dallas Love Field from 1950 to 1954 and was among the first of its kind in the United States.
Travel Black America 250 doesn’t have to be expensive, but it can always be expansive in the minds of our children.
There is no way this space could fully explain or exhaust the Black America 250 program, but you can Google it, post it, talk about it, and spread the word.
We have been here for 250 years, and our worth and contributions to this nation can never be disputed.
A long-time Texas Metro News columnist, Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, award-winning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.
