We Are Our Ancestors Wildest Dreams

Taylor King
Jan 31, 2021
3 min read

"Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the hope and the dream of the slave. And so... There I go." ~Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou

Hello, welcome and Happy Sunday.

If you're anything like me, starting your morning off with caffeine and a light read can be just what you need for the start of a successful -ish week ahead. So I thank you for tuning in and reading on, and giving me the chance to share some words that might resonate for the rest of this celebratory month and beyond.

Tomorrow, is February 1st, 2021 and the start of Black History Month... the shortest month of the year. But one that I love for its symbolic representation of North American or more specifically US History, a part of the world that I was born and raised. The land of the free and the home of the brave.

As an African American woman, born in the 90's, I have grown up hearing the idea that Black Americans in some way lacked culture, identity and didn't know where we came from. But, this couldn't be true. I had listened to the stories of my parents in the 60's, 70's and 80's, my grandparents' recorded wisdom of the 30's, 40's and 50's, and listened in awe to the memories of my great-grandparents, the elders that had lived and survived the late 1800's into early 1900's, having themselves had elders that passed down words and wisdom. They are what let me know what the teachers hadn't mentioned.

“When I was going to school, I began to be bugged by the teaching of American history because it seemed that that history had been taught without cognizance of my presence.” ~ James Baldwin

This is why I believe that the sharing and conversation of our history so important.

What is Black History Month?

A month is not long enough to tell the stories of this nation's history or the stories of every slave, indentured servant, abolitionist, civil rights leader, ally, and innovator that left their mark on this nation. But they are the reason and meaning behind why we celebrate the rich and resilient culture of the Black/African American people on the second month of each year.

The conversation surrounding Black History Month was reported to have

begun in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. It was Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson, who actively advocated the importance of recognition to the Black communities and later aligned his mission and vision with the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (an organization committed to recognizing the achievements of black Americans and people with African descent). Together they pushed for the recognition of Negro History Week.

They proposed the second week of February initially, because it coincided with the birthday of the 16th US President Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and of Abolitionist Leader Frederick Douglass on February 14. Both dates had already been celebrated since the late 19th century, so it was argued to be the most appropriate time.

“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” ~ Carter G. Woodson

During the Civil Rights Movement, the week was adopted within the black communities, and schooling. But, as schools became racially integrated, the availability of Black History curriculum again fell short and by the mid-1960's, the most popular textbook for middle school U.S. history classes mentioned only two black people in the entire century of history that had transpired since the Civil War, a glaring disparity that could no longer be dismissed.

It was under the 38th US President, President Gerald Ford that Black History Month was decreed a national observance in 1976.

Of course, there is so much more to the Black History Month than its beginnings and how exactly it came to be, but that will be a blog for another time.

However, see below and click the links to read more about a very few influential figures that moved history with their words, actions, and more.

We Remember

Dr. Martin Luther King

Malcolm X

Rosa Parks