Black History Month began as Negro History Week in 1926. It was launched by Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian, author, and journalist. Best known for his book “The Mis-Education of the Negro”, Carter G. Woodson chose the month of February for the observance of black history for 2 reasons. Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was February 12^th and February 14^th was the acknowledged birthday of Frederick Douglass. Who is Frederick Douglass? Why, he was only one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement that fought to end slavery in the US. – This might be a good time to make Google your friend.

Black History Month is celebrated to commiserate those that gave their lives in the fight for the freedom of slavery including such upstanding black figures like Rosa Parks, aforementioned Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, W.E.B Dubois, and Martin Luther King to name a few. It is also celebrated in hopes of reminding black people, whose roots are from Africa, where they came from.

I asked a couple of people for their thoughts on Black History Month. Their replies have been transcribed below.

Random Person 1: “Black History Month means a celebration of people from the African Diaspora. It doesn’t start with slavery and end with people in America. It embraces people from the Caribbean, people from Africa, and everywhere. It’s a time for us to celebrate everybody with food, knowledge, lecture, and fellowship. It’s a time to celebrate all of the people of the Diaspora, not just African Americans. People learn by different customs. I would really like to see a showcase of different customs from the Caribbean or West Africa. It’s the best way for people to really learn about their roots. For example, the elaborate engagement ceremony in Ghana, West Africa. So that everyone in the Diaspora knows how significant family is in the West African culture.”

Random Person 2: “It’s a time for cultures to come together, which is something that we need to do not just focus on African American history … how we all come together and are all inter-related as opposed to the typical education on certain black prominent people. It’s a time to learn about our past, present, and our future. Where we started and where we came from.”

Random Person 3: “More of a history and learning how and from where we are from. I’d like to see people learn more about the African part and not just focus on the American part. We all live in America but we came from Africa and we need to realize and learn more of that.”

Random Person 4: “Black History Month is the experience of black people and not the experience of one tradition. It’s the experience of black people in general with a shared history. We are all descendants from the mother land and no matter where we go or where we ended up, we still have that connection and we all should be celebrated in the month of February. It’s not an African American experience- from slavery forward, we have a history that started at the cradle of civilization, that the first great universities in the world were in Africa. We have a great past and future if we work together.”

Let us know our heritage and where we come from for that is what makes us who we are. Our beliefs, our customs, our culture swirling to find placement in our being. Black History Month is not just a random month that was picked and declared. There is a lot of history behind it. Make it your responsibility to know what that history is.

“It is not the load that tales you down, It’s the way you carry it”- Lena Horne

Peace to my r’ebels.

~Lspyce

Pop Quiz: Roughly what percentage of slaves were taken from West Africa?