In case you haven’t noticed, we are halfway through Black History Month. And if you’re in a dither about how to commemorate or celebrate this special moment on the calendar, your participation is still more than welcomed at a number of upcoming events.
But before we tick off a few possible venues in need of your support, let’s do our Sankofa bird take on things by facing forward and looking back. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the esteemed historian, conceived the idea of Negro History Week and chose February because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. That was in 1926.
Fifty years later, Negro History Week evolved into Black History Month, and it’s been that way ever since, although some activists have campaigned to update that designation to African Heritage Month as a tribute to the late Dr. John Henrik Clarke.
A number of websites provide additional background on the month, including the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum at http://www.woodsonmuseum.org/about-us.
Propitiously, this year’s celebration coincides with several bright moments, none more illuminating than the film “Selma.” In a week or so, thousands will be journeying to Selma, Ala., to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march to the state capital. If you are not able to make this walk, a shorter trek can be made to theaters to catch the film before it leaves the screens, where it has enjoyed a phenomenal run and attendance, thanks in part to a group of African-American entrepreneurs who financed free admission for thousands of children across the nation.
A half century ago, we witnessed the passing of the Voting Rights Act, and later this month many will gather at various ceremonies to remember the legacy of Malcolm X, who was assassinated Feb. 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. Check our calendar to get the schedule for events at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center in Washington Heights, the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan, the Schomburg Center in Harlem, the House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn and the Dr. John Henrik Clarke House in Harlem.
And if the weather and other circumstances limit your mobility, you can reflect on this moment and discuss with friends and colleagues the importance of studying our history and culture to see how progress was obtained and what strategies and tactics are necessary to complete our mission to full equality.
Indeed, Black History Month is a time for us to refresh our historic memory, but if it isn’t joined with some sustained action to change the persistent inequities, then it’s just thoughts without commitment.
Yes, we are halfway through another Black History Month, but it should not end your active engagement in those organizations and institutions that have year in and year out, been dedicated to fighting the good fight.
Your time and energy are needed now more than ever, given the retrenchment of our foes and their determination to turn back the clock, to reinstate Jim Crow laws, to put in place measures to renew old tactics of disenfranchisement.
The outrage from Ferguson, Staten Island and other hotspots in the nation has brought new troops to the battlefield, and we are deeply encouraged by the young people who are alert to the fact that Black Lives Matter!
A veritable army of the righteously indignant is quietly gathering, much of it below the radar—and that’s a good thing. We don’t need to broadcast what we are doing and where we will next draw the line against racism and discrimination.
Thus far, Black History Month has provided just the right amount of momentum needed to push us beyond the celebratory stage and into concrete plans for change throughout the year. We await your hand on the wheel.
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