February is the month in which communities come together in order to commemorate and celebrate Black History Month. ANHS makes it an effort to educate and spread awareness about this historically significant month in order to promote inclusivity in the school environment.
In 1976, a month-long acknowledgment for African Americans was created as a remembrance of their societal impacts.
Mariah Lewis (11) shares, “To me, Black History Month means celebrating other black people and coming together and realizing the importance of this month. It’s important to understand the history of black people and everything they’ve had to do to get to where we are today as a community.”
Throughout the hardships and adversity they had to face in history, black people have had a culturally significant and profound effect in almost every aspect of American communities. When it comes to music, dance, science or politics, they have helped immensely to shape many of these factors.
Black people were a pivotal contribution to jazz as artists such as Louis Armstrong during the Harlem Renaissance helped popularize this music style. Even in modern society, R&B, Hip-Hop and Rap all have roots that trace down to the framework in which African Ameircans have established.
Reese Monsod (11) says, “It’s extremely important that we learn about black history especially in schools because it builds our understanding for the problems others have faced in the past.”
Black History Month can be traced all the way back to the times Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman fought against the inhumane practices of slavery. Douglass’ autobiography which exposed the dehumanization of slave owners onto African Americans helped ignite a demand for the abolition of slavery. Additionally, Tubman’s will to risk her own life in order to help free other slaves fueled more motivation for African Americans to fight for their own freedom.
Notable historical figures that were a part of the civil rights movement include Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” are extremely influential pieces of literature for their demand and empowering dialogue. Park was also characterized as a forefront to the civil rights movements by resisting to give up her seat due to the segregational laws implemented at the time.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was then passed which ended segregation based on race and other physical factors. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 also promoted the accessibility of voting to black people.
Despite these monumental pieces of legislation that aimed to support the African Americans community, they continued to face prejudice and stereotypes by racially motivated individuals. Up to modern day, black people are confronted with unequal treatment or corruption by the government. For this reason, protests such as the ones led by the Black Lives Matter Movement continue to spread awareness on these issues.
As people gained appreciation for the black community, it has led to their greater participation in politics such as Barack Obama becoming the first African American President of the United States.
Black History Month highlights the contributions of the black community, and most importantly it reminds society to appreciate and support one another despite race, religion or cultural backgrounds.
