National Black History month has been observed since 1915, officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976, and signed into law as an official national month of recognition in 1986. The month aims to bring awareness to the injustices that Black-American’s have faced throughout history while uplifting the achievements and impacts that they have made as well.
Each year a “theme” is chosen for the month which specifically highlights prominent figures from the past and present who made a noticeable impact for Black Americans and Civil Rights in their respective fields. And each year, since the month’s national recognition, the President has issued a message or proclamation announcing the celebration. However, this year’s proclamation was noticeably different than its predecessors.
President Donald Trump’s proclamation was released on January 31 to some confusion as it was overshadowed by his recent rollbacks of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs and the Departments of Defense’s statement that federal offices will “pause” celebrating “identity months,” which included Black History Month as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Before I get into this year’s statement, let’s take a brief look back at what previous proclamations looked like.
In the modern era, Presidents Clinton, Obama, Biden and even Trump in his first term, followed the annual guidelines that made up presidential proclamations. They typically celebrated specific themes like, “Black Women in American History and Culture” in 2012, or “The Legacy of African-American Leadership for the Present and the Future” in 1999. They acknowledged the dark history of the past, while also uplifting black voices and progressives. It was a proclamation that took accountability for our past and a celebration for those who shape our future, but this year was a little… disingenuous.
This year’s theme is “African-Americans in Labor” to celebrate the achievements Black Americans have made in the country and the trailblazers who made the labor movement more accessible to Black Americans. However, a mention of the theme and acknowledgement of the centuries of unpaid labor that was slavery in America were both absent from President Trump’s proclamation.
Instead, Trump launches into highlighting prominent figures to celebrate saying, “American heroes such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thomas Sowell, Justice Clarence Thomas, and countless others represent what is best in America and her citizens.”
Now, at first you might say, “what is wrong with celebrating these people? they are all prominent Black Americans who have had an impact on America.” And to that I say not all impact is good impact.
Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, I take no issue with. They are widely revered as incredible civil rights champions for good reason.
However, Thomas Sowell and Justice Clarence Thomas were obvious cherry picked as people who would fit the mold of Black Americans that he wants to portray. Sowell is a well know economist, but he is held in higher esteem in conservative spaces for his opposition to gun regulation, free healthcare, welfare, and overall more conservative takes on American issues.
Justice Thomas has been more recently circulating the news for his acceptation of bribes from conservatives as well as his votes against reproductive freedom and affirmative action.
It’s obvious that the people Trump chose to commemorate are only those who fit his agenda.
He closed his statement saying this, “This National Black History Month, as America prepares to enter a historic Golden Age, I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to black Americans for all they have done to bring us to this moment, and for the many future contributions they will make as we advance into a future of limitless possibility under my Administration.”
I won’t be the first to say that this “Golden Age” comment is both very egotistical and looking to be entirely improbable.
All these problems aside, it should be no surprise that the Presidential Proclamation was disappointing this year. However, just because the president seems to have a lack of compassion and appreciation for the true champions of the Black Labor Movement, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be celebrating them.
So, here are a few people we should be celebrating this month:
A. Philip Randolph
Organizer the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, the first Black union to receive a charter by the American Federation of Labor, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year. His protests and union efforts led to multiple pieces of legislation being passed that protected against discrimination in the workforce.
Mary McLeod Bethune
A founder and educator at a Black college in a segregated early 1900s Florida, businesswoman and a leading political figure advocating for the rights for Black women in America as a member of FDR’s administration in 1936 and the vice president of the NAACP in 1940. She was also the only woman of color present at the conference for the creation of the United Nations.
Bayard Rustin
A leading organizer for the famous 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, an advocate for AIDS education, and an advisor to both Martin Luther King Jr. and A. Philip Randolph. His work with Randolph involved promoting the integration of unions to get Black American’s more involved in the labor movement.
Hattie Canty
A prominent strike leader throughout the 1980s and 90s who became the first Black woman to be nominated as president of the Culinary Workers Union in 1990. She advocated for equality within the hospitality industry, and organized multiple successful strikes and negotiations for high wages and better working standards.
Ketanji Brown Jackson
The first Black woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, who was appointed in 2022 by President Joe Biden, and a guard against multiple attempts to diminish workers’ rights such as the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO v. Trump ruling in 2018 that guarded against new limitations administered to labor unions.
“Freedom is never granted: It is won. Justice is never given: It is exacted.”
A. Philip Randolph
For more information about the history of Black History Month and the themes of years past, visit The Association for the Study of African American Life and History website.