February as Black History Month was established originally as Negro History Week in 1926 as means to pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship. Early February was chosen to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
In 1976 during the nation’s bi-centennial celebrations, President Gerald Ford declared February Black History Month and urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”. All Presidents since have upheld the proclamation.
The Black History Month theme for 2023 is “Black Resistance”. It encourages action to oppose historically oppressive rhetoric and systemic injustice. Black History Month reminds us that resistance is something that we all need to do to create a future bright for all people. Very fitting.
It comes at a time of endless reports of man’s inhumanity to man, an escalation echoing across the world. It’s easy to feel powerless. It’s important to remember we are not. Resistance is important, even more so by those with privilege.
The weeklong celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday always inspires. While historically honoring Dr. King and his work, this year it resonated soundly in the present. Testimonials focused on current reality.
Since the George Floyd killing and birth of the Black Lives Matter movement, we have had exceptional opportunities for dialogue and learning: Grand Rounds, Brave Talks, many Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, and wonderful MLK events.
These often focus not on stories of the past, but daily life of people I know and admire. Testimonials of how blacks have to live due to innate negative bias: smile so people aren’t scared, teach children how to respond even if treated unfairly to avoid consequence, discouraging or denied loans for home ownership, inaccessibility of health care, negative counseling regarding profession. The perseverance, exhaustion and risk of the advocates pulls the heart to be a stronger Ally.
At encouragement from one of MLK speakers, I took a look at Dr. King’s lesser known writing, “The World House”, and commentary on the same from Arthur Romano, an Assistant Professor at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University.
Inspired by a story of a widely divided family forced to live in one house and hence forced to get along, King saw this as a metaphor for the world. He wrote, “This is the great new problem of mankind. We have inherited a large house, a great ‘world house’ in which we have to live together…a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in peace.”
King felt that a sense of radical interconnectivity must be the cornerstone of moving forward and social justice. Per Romano’s comments, “This was statement about the fundamental nature of our world and what it will take to survive and thrive together.”
Forever a believer in the interdependence of people and indeed all living things, this resonated well with me. We all learn biases, but our shared humanity is the link to God’s calling to love thy neighbor as yourself.
I am white and can never feel what it’s like to be black. I can however, try to be a good Ally. Allyship is using one’s voice where one can to actively support people in less advantaged positions.
During the MLK celebrations there was a session on how to be a good Ally. A TED talk speaker emphasized three key actions. One: open doors when possible for those marginalized who cannot open them themselves. Two: approach others with humility regarding your own knowledge, listen to the other person’s perspective, be curious and ask questions with respect. Three: use your privilege for good, amplify voices, and commit to a long, ongoing process.
Banning of books, suppression of knowledge, omission of black history; it all feels unbelievable to me. My parents encouraged broad reading and open dialogue, particularly of people and lifestyles I knew little about. Education is lifelong. Visit www.blackhistorymonth.gov for information and links to online programming. Special sections for teachers are included.