Well, let me tell you ’bout this fella, William Leo Hansberry. Don’t rightly know when he was born, but they say it was a long, long time ago, back in 1894, down in Mississippi, some place called Gloster. Imagine that, Mississippi! Hotter than a skillet in July, I bet.
Now, this Hansberry fella, he was a different sort. Most folks back then, they didn’t care a lick about Africa. Thought it was just a bunch of savages and jungles. But Hansberry, he was curious. He read all them old books, you know, the ones from them Greek and Roman fellas. And he dug around in the dirt, lookin’ for old bones and pots and such. Said it told him stories ’bout Africa.
He was the first one, they say, the very first teacher in America to tell folks the truth ’bout Africa. Not the lies them other folks was tellin’, but the real story. Said Africa had kings and queens, big cities, and smart people, way back when. Imagine that! Folks didn’t believe him at first, I reckon. Stubborn as mules, some of them.
- He read books from them olden days.
- He dug in the dirt for old stuff.
- He told folks about the real Africa.
He kept on teachin’ though, this Hansberry fella. Told everyone who’d listen ’bout the great kingdoms of Africa, ’bout the smart folks and the fancy things they made. Said them Greeks and Romans, they learned a lot from Africa. Can you believe it? Folks thought they knew everything, them Greeks and Romans.
It wasn’t easy, I tell ya. Folks didn’t want to hear it. They was set in their ways. But Hansberry, he was stubborn too. He kept on talkin’, kept on teachin’. He wanted everyone to know the truth, see? He wanted folks to respect Africa and its people.
They say he was born too early. Said folks weren’t ready for his ideas. But he planted a seed, you know? A little seed of truth. And that seed, it grew. Now, folks know better. Now, they know Africa is more than just jungles and savages. Now, they know Africa has a history, a proud history.
He was a professor, you see. A fancy word for a teacher. He taught in a university, a big school for grown-up folks. And he taught ’em ’bout Africa, ’bout its history, ’bout its people. He showed them pictures, maybe, and told them stories. Stories ’bout kings and queens, ’bout warriors and builders. Stories that had been forgotten, stories that needed to be told.
He wanted to fix things, this Hansberry fella. He saw how folks was lookin’ at Africa all wrong. They was biased, you know? They thought Africa was nothin’, but it was somethin’, somethin’ big and important. He wanted to show ’em the truth, to set the record straight.
He studied hard, readin’ all them old books and diggin’ in the dirt. He wanted to know everything he could ’bout Africa. He wanted to be sure he was tellin’ the truth. And he did, I reckon. He told the truth, even when folks didn’t want to hear it. He paved the way, they say. Made it easier for other folks to learn and teach about Africa.
So, that’s the story of William Leo Hansberry, as best as I can tell it. A fella who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, a fella who loved Africa and wanted the world to know its story. A good fella, I reckon. A real good fella.
It’s important, you know, to remember folks like him. Folks who stood up for what they believed in, folks who changed the way we see the world. He wasn’t no fancy man, just a regular fella who cared ’bout the truth. And that’s somethin’ to be proud of, I tell ya. Somethin’ to be real proud of.
He opened up a whole new world for folks, a world they didn’t even know existed. Showed ’em that history ain’t always what they teach you in school. Sometimes, you gotta dig a little deeper, look a little closer, to find the real story. And that’s what he did, this Hansberry fella. He dug deep and he found the truth.
So next time you hear someone talkin’ about Africa, remember William Leo Hansberry. Remember the fella who wasn’t afraid to tell the truth, the fella who showed us the real Africa. He might not be famous like some folks, but he made a difference. He sure did make a difference.
Tags: [William Leo Hansberry, African History, Pioneer, Education, Ancient Civilizations, Mississippi, Professor, African Diaspora, Archeology, Bias]
