This picture reminds me of my childhood. I loved hanging out with my grandfather, watching him cook, going fishing with him, listening to him tell me stories about his childhood and about my mother when she was my age. This is why I like talking to my 14 year-old nephew about his history.
February in the US is commemorated as Black History Month. During this month, African Americans, who have helped change the world, are commemorated by people of all walks of life. Black History Month began as "Negro History Week," which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African- American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass (one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the US in the decades before the Civil War) and Abraham Lincoln (16th US president most remembered for his Emancipation Proclamation, which declared slaves free).
During Black History Month, universities offer special lectures; television broadcasters air black-history related programming, people gather at fairs organized to celebrate Black History Month and artists, mostly reggae, perform to crowds of the Afro-centric thinker.
One must not assume that the US stands still for Black History Month celebrations, because that is not so. But, if you are looking and are interested there are noticeable communications about Black History Month around the country.
So, why is Black History Month important and necessary? As a firm believer in the importance of history in the present, I offer that it is for that reason that Black History Month is important and necessary. In order to really have an appreciation for where one stands in the present, then one must look at the past.
Marcus Garvey once said, "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."
That was my response to a friend who asked why we celebrate Black History Month.
2 comments:
Black History month - I wish it could be year 'round. I recently read a blog post that spoke of various accomplishments and inventions by black men and women that I, @ 37 years old, hadn't known.
Some of the best conversations in my life have been w/ my grandmother. Love her with ALL my heart.
True dat. Whenever my nephew asks me for money, I make him research a famous black man or woman of his choice (no athletes or rappers) and write an essay. Both he and I learn something new.
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