February has always interested me. With a quick glance over a calendar anyone can note the several "red letter days"; be they hallmark or otherwise: there's the aforementioned Valentine's Day in addition to Groundhog Day, President's Day, a few highlighted days related to Mardi Gras, and the list continues. One thing you won't see is Fredrick Douglass' birthday, February 14th, which is an anchor for black history month; which is what truly draws my attention to the shortest month of the year.
Black History Month initially started as Negro History Week- which was held the second week of February because of both Douglass' and Lincoln's birthdays. Negro History Week was primarily launched as an effort to emphasize teaching related to the topic. Over time, enthusiasm spread and before too long a week of education and excitement expanded to a month!
I'm not sure what this looked like back then, but I do recall that during my school days- Black History Month was simply reduced to a project on a black person. I recall most often peers researching the same and/or common household names. No-one ever expanded the list of VIPs or provided random unknown facts; basically keeping black history aligned with mainstream ideas and well-known acknowledgments.
As an adult, at least in my current city Atlanta- there is constant encouragement and support of black history. Within my family we challenge ourselves to extend our knowledge of black history each year during February. For the past few years each person within my immediate family has picked a topic to dive into. We have done reading novels and poetry to watching movies and documentaries. I've found it fruitful individually and as a unit;learning from one another and expanding our thoughts, often times interjecting personal relate-able experiences.
I realized this is a deliberate way to access my familes past and to learn from their heart felt experiences; especially the touchy ones- the ones that anger them to recollect, or the one where a re-caption of words and events visually pains them to share out loud. With this family challenge we commit ourselves to sharing and learning about those before us but also about ourselves.
When's the last time you brushed up on your black history? Join in on my families challenge- what are your black history goals this month?! This time around I'm watching movies...suggestions are welcomed, stay tuned, and happy history-ing🤓
No comments:
Post a Comment