black history month
Father of the Black History
Carter G Woodson, known as the “father of the Black History” created the celebration of Black accomplishment in 1926. At the time as it is today, Americans celebrated commemorative dates in our history as well as beloved leader’s birthdays. Carter G Woodson placed Black History Month in February because it originally coincided with the birthdates of both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas.
Neglected accomplishments
He recognised the impact and the power that comes from knowing and furthering the causes of what our “forebears have accomplished”. Black History month was first recognised nationally in a speech by President Gerald Ford in 1976. In that speech, he challenged American to “seize the opportunity to honour the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history”. In 1986, Congress passed “National Black History Month” into law with the goal of bringing awareness to the black struggle for freedom.
Recognise systems
Now, celebrating black history is not just an acknowledgement of the past, but a commitment to the future. Black history is American history. Understanding past barriers to progress for marginalised individuals, specifically people of colour help us to better recognise systems that still produce discriminatory practices and disparate outcomes. Knowing black history not only helps us recognise these systems, but it also makes clear that these systems affect more than just the marginalised and people of colour. Systems of racism and oppression hurt us all.
Black health and wellness
Since its inception, black history celebrations have always had a theme. The importance of yearly themes is to focus the attention on a particular aspect of black culture and experience. The 2022 black history month’s theme is black health and wellness. This focus will celebrate the contributions and breakthroughs of black professionals as well as speaking to the cultural richness of those ‘non-traditional’ health and wellness practitioners (e.g., doulas, midwives etc). This theme will be collectively celebrated by focusing on familiar ‘rituals’ and practices that many in the black community perform to improve wellness. Photo from www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk
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