Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingdom in October. [Source: "Wikipedia" on February 15 2015]
What about the rest of the world? Have black people not lived in and contributed to other countries? Should everyone be celebrating Black History Month?
Black people have long existed and suffered at the hands of white people who see them as insignificant and of a lesser breed. Yet it is black people who have built our churches, our schools and our cultures, sometimes with nothing more than pride and determination to feed their stomachs. I am not certain why every country does not celebrate Black History Month. Perhaps the concept is only significant in countries where Blacks are a minority AND have experienced extreme hardship. Whatever the reason, this is what Black History Month is all about...taking a step back to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions Black people have made to areas such as education, medicine, art, culture, public service, economic development, politics and human rights.
We cannot speak about Black History Month without mentioning the legendary Dr Martin Luther King Jr (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968). His work lives on today but racism and racial prejudice still exists in our communities. We celebrate Dr King for his strength of character and vision and for leading the fight for civil rights and social justice.
Alberta King, Martin Luther King's mother was also murdered. She was killed by Marcus Wayne Chenault, who originally planned to kill Martin Luther King Sr. Marcus Wayne Chenault, was originally sentenced to death but the King family successfully appealed to have that changed to life in prison, where he died in 1995.
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in Maryland in 1849 and then helped hundreds of other slaves flee to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Mrs. Tubman helped John Brown recruit soldiers for his raid on Harpers Ferry (1859) and she spied for the Union (in South Carolina) during the US Civil War. After the war, she lived in Auburn, New York, and founded the Harriet Tubman Home for Aged Negroes.
On December 1, 1955, a Montgomery, Alabama, bus driver ordered Mrs. Parks to give up her seat to a white man and move to the back of the bus. When she refused, she was fined and arrested. This incident prompted a city-wide bus boycott, which eventually resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses is unconstitutional.
Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman in space. Dr. Jemison is a medical doctor and a surgeon, with engineering experience. She flew on the space shuttle Endeavor as the Mission Specialist; the mission lifted off on September 12, 1992 and landed on September 20, 1992.
Last, but by no means least, US President Barack Obama. Whether you like him or not or whether you agree with his policies, President Obama will go down in history as the first Black American president and in a country riddled with racism in the past (and present to some extent) this is no mean feat!
We do not need to dwell on the past but we should never lose sight of how the past has shaped our present and potentially our future.
