(ThySistas.com) Every February you see the post and commercials appear letting all of us know it is Black History Month. We share information about different leaders and activists that have made contributions to American history. This is also a time many of us declare black history is every day, and that our history lives within us. The question is what else does this time of year commemorate? Is there something that we are supposed to be learning beyond contributions to this country? Should we spend the month discussing the political issues that face the country and the part we play in that discussion? Do we actually prepare for this month as we do other observances throughout the year, or are we just here? These are questions to consider because within the discussion we would end up tackling the relevance of Black History Month.
I was taught that this observance was not merely a time to discuss the legends of the past, and trailblazers of the preset, but it was a time to build on all that we had learned from the previous February to now. If we believe black history is 365 then we should be able to build on the knowledge that we are finding, and exchange ideas on how to further what we are learning. The problem that we run into is everything becomes a money grab in this country at some point. Just about every observance can be monetized in some way, and this can take away from the community discussion to be had.
If we decided to assess the state of our people every year at this time we might find ourselves looking at the past for a different reason. We have leaders whose wisdom was timeless; we can look at their life and words and find ideas on various ways to tackle the issues we face today. Sometimes Black History Month should be a call to action more so than a celebration. It may be time to use our past to fuel the fire to unify our people to action. If we actually look at our community we may be standing together in some areas while fighting at the core of our being. We need more than the appearance of celebration and importance. This month has to be about more than the past…and a list of accomplishments.
Black History Month is important, and it should be properly observed by all…not just black people because it is indeed American history. However, our people should consider observing in it a bit differently. We should be learning more about ourselves every day, and more about our people. It should be our ambition to seriously work on the relationship of black women amongst each other, black men amongst each other, and then black men and women together. This healing is needed so that we can come together to build strong boys and girls that will be the future of our people.
Black history month should be a time where we come together with that in mind. Look at the progress, and areas needing improvement, over the previous year while preparing for a better year. Black History Month has to be more than a list, or the memorial of the ancestors. We must use the month to prepare to catapult a people forward, only then are we honoring the legacy of the ancestors of whose shoulders we stand.
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/christian.pierre.9809 and also Twitter; http://twitter.com/MrzZeta.