by Brynly R.
Black History Month is a yearly celebration of African American achievements. This includes recognizing the part African Americans have played in U.S. history.
Every President of the United States since 1976 has set the month of February as Black History Month. Each president selects a theme, with “Black Health and Wellness” selected for 2022. This theme “explores the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western Medicine, but also other ways of arenas (e.g., birth workers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists) throughout the African population. The 2022 theme considers activities, rituals, and initiatives that Black communities have undertaken and adopted in order to be well.
Many African Americans who have made contributions to history are highlighted during Black History Month. Some of the most recognized are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s. Thurgood Marshall was the first black justice on the Supreme Court. Mae Jemison was the first female Black astronaut who traveled to space in 1992. Barack Obama was the first African American President of the United States.
Other Africa Americans who have done amazing things include Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress. She also was the first woman to run for the presidential nomination for the Democratic Party. There was also Dorothy Height, known as the “Godmother of the Women’s Movement.” She was also one of just a few women who were present in 1963 when Dr. King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Ruby Bridges was just a little girl and probably didn’t know how strong and brave she was in 1960 when she went to a desegregated school. She now leads a foundation formed in1999 to promote "the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences."
Black History Month gives us all a chance to think about what could be. Many are still facing some of the same struggles of those previously mentioned. As Lonnie G. Bunch III, Director of the Smithsonian Institution said at the opening of the Washington D.C.'s National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016, “There is no more powerful force than a people steeped in their history. And there is no higher cause than honoring our struggle and ancestors by remembering."
As an African American myself I am happy and excited to see that Americans continue to grow and work toward equal opportunities and experiences for everyone regardless of our differences.
Sources include: History.com, Kids.nationalgeographic.com; abcnews.go.com; biography.com; Oprahdaily.com
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