Charles Leroy Gittens, not to be confused with Leroy Jenkins who has a penchant for ruining carefully laid plans was the first African American to ever become a Secret Service agent. This was back in 1956 where Black people were barely allowed to breathe the same air as other Americans so this was kind of a big deal. Again, much like with my Cool Shit Black People Invented that I did last February for Black History Month, this is the type of shit I should've been learning in school. Here's what I learned about Blacks in school.
We were chilling in Africa.
Some White folks came and stole us.
These White people beat the fuck out of us and loved cotton but didn't want to pick it themselves.
We were freed but not really.
Its March now, so shut up with the questions, kid.
Can you imagine how scary that job must’ve been? You couldn’t even drink from the same fountains as most people but you were part of the most important security team ever. You had to watch the bushes and your back. And the Bush’s. Get it? Huh?! Yeah. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts Gittens left high school before graduation to fight in the Korean War. After that he earned a bachelor of arts degree in English and Spanish and graduated Magna Cum Laude. Afterwards he taught for one year and said “Teaching ain’t as fun as plottin’!“ then took the civil service exam and ended up being recruited in the Secret Service.
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| Operation: Dark Shield is a go. |
He worked as an investigator for ten years and was assigned to handle counterfeiting and bank fraud. In 1971 he ended up being the head of the Secret Service field office in D.C. He retired in 1979 because I was born and he knew there was no amount of secrets or service that could save the country from me. After that he joined the Department of Justice where he helped hunt Nazi war criminals living in the country.
You’re gonna hear me bitching a lot about the things I didn’t learn in school about Black people. Nowadays kids have access to the literal world through the internet. We had dictionaries, encyclopedias, and adults that barely knew more than you did. I never knew anything about Gittens until the other day.
On a barely-related subject, Idris Elba is being discussed as a future James Bond. He would be a great Bond. Can the Brits handle a Black Bond?
ReplyDeleteI really like this series, not because it has anything to do with American history or Black history, but they're just cool stories. And it's completely bonkers that this guy was in the business of protecting America and couldn't even sit at the counters of some restaurants in some states for much of his life.
I think more Americans would have a problem with Idris as Bond than Brits. He's British. Not Black. Yeah. That's how this planet works.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I could have been trusted with important information or protection knowing me and people my color were being treated like ass.
I keep forgetting that 'Black' describes an American ethnic group and 'black' just describes people with black or dark skin colour. Oh the minefields!
ReplyDeleteI think he'd be an awesome Bond. And yeah, Brits worry less about these things than Americans. The gay marriage law passed in the UK's lower house a few days ago and nobody really cares except the gay community. For most Brits it's seen as something that needs to be put on the books at some stage but they don't feel strongly about it one way or the other. Can you imagine the reaction if Congress did the same?
Yaah, I can't blame you for that. On the other hand, it's cool that someone who obviously must have been aware of this hypocrisy and cruelty decided to think of the greater good, or maybe even just decided fuck the racists and shitheads, I'm going to be the best I can at my cool job.