From The Chicago Sun-Times…
Comic: Black History Month time to reflect on sacrifices
By Maudlyne Ihejirika
We interviewed a broad spectrum of Chicagoans and prominent visitors on what Black History Month means to them and whether it’s still relevant in 2010.
Here are the thoughts of comedian and radio personality George Willborn, 43, a product of Chicago public schools—best known for his 10 years on WVAZ-FM (V103) and stand-ups on BET, HBO, TV One and Comedy Central—who is keynoting a Men Motivating Men event for young black males today at Malcolm X College.
Willborn said:
“It’s a month of reflection on a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and sacrifices made long before I was thought of. It reminds me I have a great deal of responsibility, not just during the month of February, but each day of my life as a black man, to do the best I can to instill good qualities in my children and make sure we don’t forget.
“Regardless of whether it’s in the shortest month or the longest month, it’s totally necessary and wonderful to acknowledge those men and women who gave so much to get us here, and whose contributions to this society are often ignored.
“It’s probably even more important than ever, as our dropout rates continue to rise; our black children continue to kill each other; the black family continues to separate; and black fathers continue to go to jail and fall victim to the prisons of drugs and gang violence.
“It’s relevant too, because the media continues its stereotypical portrayals of black people and black culture, and we need to counter that for our children, not just recognizing the athletes and entertainers, but the everyday men and women.
“I stress to my two children every day how important it is to respect themselves. My son must know that it’s nice to be able to bounce a ball, but someone died for him to be able to go into a library.”
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