Lindsey LaBelleWeb Editorial AssistantEmail
Benjamin Mchie has stories to tell, and he wants them to resonate all year round.
As part of Black History Month, the Minnesota Timberwolves are honoring leaders who are making a difference in the community. Before Friday night’s Lakers/Wolves matchup, Mchie was honored as founder and executive director of non-profit organization, The African American Registry. The Registry is the most comprehensive online storehouse in the world of African American heritage, and while Mchie is a proponent of remembering the rich culture of African Americans, he wants everyone to hear their lessons not only in February, but each and every month of the year.
His main motivation for starting the Registry was his knowledge of history, and his understanding of the American experience through an African American lens.
Mchie referenced the Harlem Renaissance, the dissemination of black literary and musical culture following World War I in the Harlem section of New York City. According to Mchie, “The New Negro,” a collection of fiction, poetry and essays on African and African American art and literature, was one of the most prolific books from that era, and is widely considered as the definitive text of the movement.
“I believe The African American Registry takes the baton from that book, and talks about the new normal, that is, it talks about the African American experience from an American experience,” Mchie said. “All of our contributions that have helped make this country so great, and the more that we know about that, meaning all of us, not just African Americans, I think our country could be even better than it is.”
Mchie also acknowledged the game of basketball as an important hallmark of African American culture, and appreciates the good will ambassadors the game has provided. Now more than ever, players are allocating their good fortune to those who need it most, and making an effort to give back.