This is kind of an awkward beginning or rather interesting introduction of myself to the cyberworld through a blog. So here I am sitting in class (6:39 p.m.) not paying attention (yeah I know shame on me...I hope my mom isnt reading this) and I get the crazy idea of googling my name. No this isn't an advertisement or an endorsement (Si Se Puede OBAMA '08) for the ever so popular search engine Google. Most people, including myself, commonly use the search engine to look up origins of words or to become familiar with unfamiliar places, people, or things (yeah you know...nouns). I wondered what kind of odd websites or what other life forms in this ecosystem called "The World" shared my name. Would these "name snatchers" have similar characteristic traits or have the same mission to takeover the world.
So what I found was very INTERESTING to me! There are thirteen or so web results that were linked to me. Most of those articles were from my days when served the great students of South Carolina State University as President of the Student Government Assocation and the more recent results are from my various political activites (can you say Community Organizer) attempting to be "the change that I would like to see in the world." My growth as a young activist is documented from the various interviews with the local media to the most recent news interview by a journalist from Canada. Simply by "Googling" my name I can assess my maturity of thought and now able to celebrate from "whence I came.
"There is the common old adage that says "you got to know who you are to know where you going." Maybe if my people, my brothers and sisters, took the time to "Google" thier name and see who they are maybe our future will be brighter! And of course you may not find Bonquesha Alexis Camisha Johnson but you can "Google" Fannie Lou Hamer, Mary McCleod Bethune, and/or Ida B. Wells. The chances of you recieving results on Pookie "Big Shug" Jackson through this search engine maybe slim to none but you can "Google" Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Marcus Garvey, and/or Denmark Vessey.
The late great Historian, Dr. John Henrik Clarke said, "History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is also a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. History tells a people where they have been and what they have been, where they are and what they are. Most importantly history tells a people where they still must go, what they still must be. The relationship of history to the people is the same as the relationship of a mother to her child." These individuals and the many unknown ancestors are clear indicators of how great our future maybe only if we take the time to learn our past so that we will not be doomed to repeat those same mistakes.
