@Rajun Cajun Most of human history is not “Christian”, so its not important anymore? 1. I am a white female that was raised in white suburbia and I think I have missed a lot. Since its inception, Black History Month has always been celebrated in February. The History of Black History Month. A public outcry erupted in April 2018 after this emerged and led to the resignation of then home secretary Amber Rudd. 2. "One of the biggest issues we see, especially for those non-black folks, is that the emphasis on black history is divisive and some mistakenly label it 'racist. Fifty years later, coinciding with nation's bicentennial and in the wake of the civil rights movement, the celebration was expanded to a month after President Gerald R. Ford decreed a national observance. If we look at the challenges facing black Americans, the answer to that question is unsatisfactory. It is much more comforting to believe that resolving the race issue is a simple matter of black people assuming more personal responsibility, combined with better policy. The 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution was adopted by the 38th Congress on February 1st. It is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada, while in Ireland, the Netherlands, … Yes, policy is important, but the state of black America today proves it is wholly insufficient on this score. Announcing The Witness 2019 National Conference: February 1st marks the beginning of Black History Month. David Lammy accuses government of 'pandering to racism' over Windrush scandal, Home Office failed to act on warning signs of Windrush failings, scathing report finds. Your email address will not be published. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. We don’t have African history month. I prayed to God for many years that I would love people like Jesus loves people. We are inundated with images of unruly athletes and raunchy reality TV stars as paradigms of success for Black people. It's easy to miss the Katar River restaurant, hidden away in a little industrial strip behind the Lake & Hiawatha shopping center in south Minneapolis. Today, the ultimate intent of Black History Month is not only to help African Americans understand, appreciate and preserve our great heritage, but also to speak to the members of the larger society who are looking for avenues of understanding themselves and their Black countrymen. just clear this up for me please. IGGERS DIGEST | Katar River: flavors and aromas of Ethiopia. I once heard Myrlie Evers, the wife of slain Civil Rights leader Medgar Evers, speak at the Governor’s Prayer Luncheon. The whole February is the month to focus on the historical achievements of black people. While the UK celebrates Black History Month in October, across the world where it originated, commemorations take place throughout February, however both share a common purpose. What race we are doesnt define who you are. Why is it wrong to learn about all kinds of people and ways of thinking. This is the story of black America — underappreciated and perpetually experiencing trickle-down citizenship wherein progress only reaches us if the nation’s cup runneth over. On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands of Americans, Blacks and Whites, Jews and gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, marched to the memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, in the continuing pursuit of equality of citizenship and self-determination. dekdbdbbcccaeege. That year, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first African American History Month. Black History Month also celebrates the fact that black people have been in Britain for a lot longer than previously thought. We love the memory of you and will continue to cherish and maintain this great idea. And black health continues to be worse on nearly every front — heart disease, asthma, infant mortality, diabetes — and the racial gap cancer deaths is widening. Do you equate ‘Greatness’ with ‘Power’? Contemplating Black history draws people of every race into the grand and diverse story of this nation. Contemplating Black history draws people of every race into the grand and diverse story of this nation. I remember my shock as a Christian to learn about the formation of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, because in all my years in churches and Christian schools, no one had ever mentioned it. He earned a master's degree at the University of Chicago and a Ph. If so then I need to quite my day job because their is not use of me teaching any history that’s not Christian. The 2013 Black History Month theme from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History is “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The … The museum specializes in the civil rights era, but Trent said Woodson's mission guides just about all of their initiatives. He wrote of the commemoration, “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world.” That is, no amount of legislation can grant you equality if a nation doesn’t value you. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Says Olajuwon, “Help turn Black History Month into a celebration that we all can be proud of and mindful of every day, ”. Woodson believed that celebrating black history was a political act to “destroy the dividing prejudices of nationality and teach universal love without distinction of race, merit or rank.” Not because learning about, say, a black inventor would inspire white magnanimity, but because failure to accept black people as fellow architects of the United States is an existential threat to the nation we call home. As a part of her work with the museum, Trent said she is frustrated that black history tends to be ignored by popular culture once February ends. Amen!! Others contend that we should celebrate Black history throughout the entire year. This is very very helpful in writing an essay only one para but it is very helpful for my short essay! The issue began because many Commonwealth citizens who had a legal right to come and live in the UK, and who arrived before 1973, were not given documents confirming their status that they had been granted indefinite leave to remain. She later helped about 300 other slaves gain their freedom by escaping through the Underground Railroad. And we are daily subject to unfair stereotypes and assumptions from a culture that is, in some aspects, still learning to accept us. It was on this occasion that Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his celebrated “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1976 the United States government officially recognized Black History Month. Wouldn’t it make you a better witness of the gospel? the Bible not gospel music) centered. 3. Black History Month has been the subject of criticism from both Blacks and people of other races. Your email address will not be published. They are mostly behavior oriented versus heart oriented. The first African-American woman to win the Women's Singles of the U.S. National Figure Skating Championship was Debi Thomas in 1986. It also made segregation in schools illegal and subject to law suits. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? So often we find ourselves involved in activities without fully understanding why, as occasionally is the case during our annual observance of Black History Month. Apart from an awareness of the past, we can never appreciate the blessings we enjoy in the present. To begin learning more about Black History Month and Black achievers, click on any of the links above and visit these sites: Jemar Tisby is president of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective where he writes about race, religion, and culture. No single race or its culture can comprehensively display the infinite glory of God’s image, so he gave us our differences to help us appreciate his splendor from various perspectives. Although at this point, the commemorative month had already been going on in the US for around 20 years and was created by Harvard-educated historian Carter G Woodson, who wanted to challenge preconceptions at the time. Though nearly three in four Americans agree that race relations are bad, we see the issue quite differently. Carter G. Woodson was its creator. February is observed as “Black History Month” in America. ", Noelle Trent, director of interpretation, collections and education at the National Civil Rights Museum, said it's wonderful to mobilize for Black History Month festivities, but "there's no one season for it. Black History Month began in 1926 as an annual week-long celebration called Negro History Week, created to encourage education about America's Black history. We can look back on the brightest and darkest moments of our past and see God at work. "It's disappointing," Kimble said. Black unemployment remains at twice the rate of white Americans.