Black history should be celebrated and embraced EVERYDAY of the year, but this month is specifically pinpointed to celebrate the significance of black history.
Black History month started in 1926. The idea of “Black History Month” originally came from Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History after they announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week”. However, it was the Black United Students and Black educators at Kent State University that founded Black History Month, on February 1, 1970. In 1976, President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial and told Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Black History didn’t begin in the United States.
Black History begins before slavery.
Black History wasn’t created to teach us how far we’ve come from being enslaved, it reminds us of the power that we have a community and how much more we can achieve.
But before we continue, let’s get one thing straight… there is a difference between slaves and “being enslaved.” One defines a person’s state of being/their situation, while the other defines a person’s state of mind. It is important that we understand the beginning of our history. We need to do our research as a community. There is such beauty in our history that is kept from us. We cannot understand our future as people unless we understand and know about our past. Celebrate and share the greatness of black history! As a community we’ve done so well, but we need to keep pushing for some more changes.
It is amazing to see how far we;ve come. Children in this generation finally have representation for themselves. Black Panther gives children the equal POSITIVE representation of someone who looks like them. About 30 years ago, we wouldn’t have thought this was possible. 60+ years ago we lacked positive representation. We would only see black people portrayed as criminals, uneducated, barbaric etc.
Yes, we’ve come far but we have a many more steps to go! WE are our own living proof as to why we should celebrate Black History Month and its importance.
Photo Credits: Frontline