Twenty-nine Days of Blackness
If my website had been functioning properly on February 1, this was what I intended to post. Although late, I thought it still relevant.
I will resist my usual cynicism around the all-too-brief period of historical reflection otherwise known as Black History Month. We all have the same pet peeve--they give us the shortest month of the year to celebrate our history and contributions to the world, then push us back to the margins when it’s over.
The usual suspects are dusted off to have their biographies rewritten and their real significance overlooked and whitewashed for the masses. Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, a watered down Malcolm X, even Michael Jordan and Oprah Winfrey will all get heroic treatment this month.
Not that they haven’t done things worth noting, but there is a certain sameness to the occasion that I think overlooks the fact that all around us are people worth recognizing, many of whom we all know personally. Their actions may be no less heroic, even though their names are less widely known.
If Black History Month is to mean anything beyond a superficial recitation of names from the civil rights movement, it is time we reclaimed it, redefined it and shaped it into a greater celebration that will mean something now and possibly into the future.
Too often we only honor people after they have gone, or struggle to piece together the history of a significant movement when there are few people left to remember first hand. I suggest we correct that now.
Let’s honor the living heroes among us. People on the local level, in every city, town and village, who are standing up to make a difference.
- That teacher who extends herself to connect to students despite a meager salary and a small school budget.
- Those parents raising not only their own natural born children but a few foster kids as well.
- The activist who saw a way to bring about solutions, while everyone else threw up their hands over the problem.
- The young people who are doing positive things in their community, demonstrating leadership skills now, or the senior citizen who has spent their life serving the community and is ready to pass the torch.
You probably don’t have to look very far to find these people either. They’re all around us. Using Black History Month to say “thank you” shows that not only were their efforts not in vain, but that ordinary people can make a difference, moving us away from unnecessary hero worship and towards a belief that all of us can be agents for change.
Which people or events from your hometown do you think should be recognized during Black History Month?
Posted by bernie at February 12, 2004 6:21 PMTrackBack
I agree with you bernie we overlook the people around us that have done things/accomplishments for the community, town, or city, such as pastor, doctors, lawyers, teachers, firefighters, and most importantly the parents/grandparents.
have a great weekend and a happy valentine's day!
Posted by: lashundra at February 13, 2004 11:15 AM