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Why I Care About Black History Month Like Never Before
On the final day of February 2020, I posted on social media, speaking to why Black History Month always came and went without much fanfare for me. Blackness and history remain on my mind year-round, so this month never seemed like such a big deal.
That’s no longer the case this year. Here are three reasons why.
1. Black History Provides The Answers We Need.
On May 25, 2020, the murder of George Floyd incited a national, racial reckoning; its imprints are all over this year’s Black History Month. However, I didn’t wait until February to delve into history. With our racial reckoning heightening the intense debate over systemic racism’s existence in America, I decided to utilize history as a weapon in this rhetorical battle.
Last year, on Juneteenth, I released an anti-racism Ebook/resource guide. The first section of this three-part guide highlights the history that exposes the legacy of slavery and racism’s permeation throughout America’s culture and institutions into the present day.
Some of the most poignant lessons from this history lesson were:
- Government policies intentionally created ghettos; it’s no accident that Blacks are overrepresented in poverty-stricken inner-cities.