From Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King Jr. to Barack Obama, February, Black History Month, celebrates achievements made by all African Americans over the years in the US. Recently with all of the Black Lives Matter protests against systemic racism and police brutality, it is more important than ever that we keep talking about these issues and learning as much as we can about History in order to better understand the root of discrimination. And, with that being said, there is a lot to remember, and to celebrate in regards to Black achievements!
Some Background
Black History Month really began in 1926, and is credited to Carter G. Woodson. He was a black author and historian who published many books and articles in his lifetime with the goal of enriching African American studies by uncovering both the roots of black culture and prejudice. In the early 20th century, he started reaching out to schools and getting more opportunities to talk to them, increasing education of Black History. Of course, racism still remained prominent, and unfortunately still does, but this was a step forwards, as Woodson became known as the “Father of Black History”. However, it was not until the 1960s, roughly a decade after Woodson had passed away, that the Civil Rights Movement ended up developing this “week” into a “month”. Civil Rights leaders and activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Malcolm X, in fact, are all still greatly celebrated today during Black History Month. Along with them there are black politicians, musicians, athletes, actors and other historical figures that have made an impact on the world. Among them are singers Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin, Jackie Robinson, who is known for breaking the color barrier in American Baseball, Maya Angelou, a very respected African American Poet, and many more.
Some current events that relate to this:
First of all, this year it is impossible to talk about Black History without mentioning police brutality. Treyvon Martin, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are all people whose names became significant after they were killed in inhumane acts of police brutality. And, unfortunately, this isn’t a recent issue, having happened for generations and generations to many other African Americans. This Black History month, it is definitely important that we remember all who have been killed due to prejudice and hatred for centuries.
On the other hand, this past year has also brought significant accomplishments in regards to Black History. First of all there is the fact that the first ever woman of color has been elected as Vice President of the United States. According to a BBC article from January 25th, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden have in fact established what has been called “the most diverse ever” cabinet, the US Presidents’ group of ministers. Not only have they included LGBTQ+ members in this cabinet, but as stated by CNBC in this article, ex-veteran Lloyd Austin was sworn in on January 22, 2021 as the first ever Black Minister of Defense. He has especially made promises to take steps towards ending police brutality, sexual assault, and many other injustices, a true achievement!
There are also many artforms that we can look at when talking about Black History. Amanda Gorman, a 22 year old African American poet, in fact gave an emotional and compelling speech at the Presidential Inauguration. Touching listeners through her words about injustices and hope, she stated in the beginning of her speech, “We the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president only to find herself reciting for one.” Lastly, in the past year, a wonderful new movie by Disney/Pixar, Soul, has captured many people’s attention and hearts. It’s lead character is the first ever black lead character in a Pixar animated film, and the movie has been praised for its representation of black American culture.
Other great movies (old and new) to watch this Black History Month are:
13th
Do The Right Thing
Hidden Figures
The Color Purple
Malcolm X
See You Yesterday
The Hate You Give
To Kill a Mockingbird
In fact, if you don’t know already, Netflix came out with an entire genre section called “Black Lives Matter” a while back. Here you can find many movies and series talking about Black history and culture if you are interested in looking at more to watch!
Happy Black History Month :)
- Julia Andrade
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