February; The best month ever created. So, let me get this straight; we celebrate our black history and my birthday in the same month? How did that happen? I can remember having a celebration (for Black history) all month long at the private church school I attended for elementary to junior high. We would have to do the 3P’s or a combo of them: A Paper, Project or Presentation on an element of our black history, whether it was a person, a particular event, anything that captured our interest even as a 3rd grader. Of course, I was the one who wanted to write about whoever made clothes or little dresses. That is all I dreamed about! Of course, I had to choose from the known people in our history to write about. But I wish as I child I knew all about the first pioneers in fashion like Zelda Wynn Valdes (first designer, iconic Playboy Costume, one of the first to own her own boutique), Ann Lowe (wedding dress for Jackie Bouvier (Kennedy), Art Smith (first African American jewelry designer), to name just a few. I look back saying,” I should have immersed myself into the passions of my heart”. First life lesson learned. I loved highlighting special moments and people in our history but something always bothered me. I often wondered “why can’t we do this more often”? Whether you call it Black History month or National African American History month this is our time to recognize the role of African Americans in U.S. history. We are now consumed with the most trivial matters of our time, but we must always remember many, many people went through intentional turmoil so that we could be exactly where we are today. As I grew into the woman I am today, I had to check myself. I realized there was not as much emphasis given through the month, and even during the year to be honest, and I knew there was no way I was that well-versed about all the roles we played in U.S. history and everything there is to know about our civil rights movement. Did you know the NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909? Some might know, some might not. Did you know Sibusiso Vilane, was the first Black African to climb Mount Everest? YES! I have been watching quite a few documentaries/movies on Mount Everest (I have a love above none other for mountains), so I was excited to read about him. Knowledge is power. It is a humbling resource that I wish more of us took advantage of. Today we have social media addicts, a preposterous spectacle we like to call politics, we have a generation enraptured by pop culture, and accentuations on current race issues. With this emphasis, we should follow with action. Complaining and mindless actions will not bring solutions to the problems we face today. We live in a world where some people feel that we do not matter and many feel we cannot ever change that. What we can do is follow our ancestor’s example, stand tall, and continue in our truth and our worth. If we only used half the energy, we often grant to the defeatist state of our society, instead to empower each other to live and breathe knowledge, and compassion and living our history, where would we be? Passionate influence, powerful measures and relentless optimism can be found in our history. How are you living the legacy our role models fought endlessly for? The questions I put forth I want you to ponder. Black History month is a celebration of many accomplishments; we all need to join in to add to that list for generations to come. I love and adore the skin that I am in.
THE NEXT UP
BY SOULSIMPLCITY
1 Comment
Candice
3/1/2016 04:22:08 pm
The article really has made me aware of my lack of knowledge of our history. *No excuse on my part*
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