It's that time of the year again .... Time to celebrate Black achievements, learn and appreciate Black history -- celebrate Black people in general. It's
BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
Some say it's a useless celebration and are upset that our community is alotted the shortest month of the year to remember our ancestors ... but even if we only have 28 days to spotlight what makes us a great people -- I'll take it. I have rebel flags shoved in my face every day and I accept the right to shove a fist back in theirs with all the Black Power Pride I can muster...
(And even more so now that we've added a new chapter in the Black history books -- thank you President Obama!).In case you didn't know ...Black History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in the month of February, while in the UK it is held in the month of October.
This annual celebration was originated in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson as "Negro History Week". Woodson chose the second week of February because it marked the birthdays of two Americans who greatly influenced the lives and social condition of African Americans: former President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
When the tradition of Black History Month was started in the U.S., many in mainstream academia had barely begun to explore black history. At that point, most representation of blacks in history books was only in reference to the low social position they held as slaves and their descendants, with infrequent exceptions such as that of George Washington Carver.
Part of the aim of Black History Month is to recognize significant contributions to society made by black slaves and how their history is integral to mainstream narratives.
Some African JESTINE radical/nationalist groups, including the Nation of Islam, have criticized Black History Month. Some critics, including the actor Morgan Freeman, contend that Black History Month is irrelevant because it has degenerated into a shallow ritual. Some, like Morgan Freeman, say that it serves to undermine the contention that black history is American history.
Black History Month is also be referred to as African-American History Month, or African Heritage Month. In the United Kingdom, Black History Month is celebrated in the month of October.
(Source)*** Stay tuned to this blog for more Black History month events and spotlights on Black Americans from right here in the SBC! AND check out the Black History icons I've put on the borders!!! :)
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