The Month of February has officially been designated as Black History Month. It is an annual celebration of the achievements made by African Americans. It also consequently celebrates their central role in U.S. history. An initiative of respected historian, Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans.
Black History Month started off as “Negro History Week”. It has received official recognition by successive U.S. Presidents since 1976. The tragic death of Tyre Nichols and beating by five Black officers of the Memphis Police Department (MPD) cast a veil of solemnity on the advent of Black History Month.
This is not an isolated incident as racially motivated murders affect everyone. It also illustrates that the effort to advance human dignity and realize equality for all is still a glimmer on the horizon. Hope is however not lost as the effort for equality for all human race is not a lost cause, but an achievable one.
We all are a work in progress, and so are nations and tribes all over the world.
The effort may have stemmed from the United State of America. However, it is now a global practice as more people in other regions become more committed to this cause.
Hence, we need to commit to doing our part to help our nations come together as a great united global community. We can tackle this existential menace and aspire for a more inclusive community by erasing the racial lines that divide us.
We also have to act in our daily lives to help others irrespective of the colour of their skin and mother tongue. Let’s equally avoid racially profiling others but rather see people on the basis of the content of their character.
That way, we build a more inclusive community that makes us stronger and better. It doesn’t matter whether it is at work, in our neighbourhoods, or as citizens of our aspiring nation. Helping others is a tangible way for us to come together and to build a more united global community.
Black History Month remains a powerful symbolic celebration and a time for acknowledgement,
reflection, and inspiration. The National 2023 Black History Month theme, “Black Resistance,” explores how African Americans have addressed historic and ongoing disadvantage and oppression. As evidenced by recent events, however, disadvantage and oppression transcend overt instances of violence.
They interpenetrate our everyday practices, our beliefs, social relations and incidents that reveal hierarchies and social structures that preserve inequities. We can help mitigate that through our own intentional and positive actions.
We should all get involved and do all that we can to foster a safe environment. An environment where we all are recognised for our abilities and valued for our contributions.
