Celebrating Black History Means Remembering The Past And Honouring The Present
My first celebrations of Black History Month were informal instructions reading history books and attending special annual packages.
I remember consuming within the memories seeking to quench my lack of information approximately icons of Black history like Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, who inside the 1800s have become the primary black lady physician in the U.S. Crumpler attended Massachusetts’ private West Newton English and Classical School, and, in 1860, the New England Female Medical College. Then there was music and field megastar Jesse Owens, who received 4 Gold medals in Berlin’s 1936 Olympic Games, thereby scary Adolph Hitler’s plan to showcase white champions and Aryan superiority.
There are too many others to word right here, maximum of whose names were regularly deliberately ignored of records books or whose contributions have been callously diminished. I become thrilled and proud to find out about how they bestowed their capabilities upon America, in spite of steep racial barriers.
When historian and writer Carter G. Woodson created this annual party to honor Black records, he ought to simplest envision one dedicated week. Now even the month-lengthy February birthday party appears too small, especially as a few Black records is still being discovered. Just like the brilliant Black women, the so-referred to as “hidden figures,” who served as “human computers” for the early U.S. Area program.
Learning approximately the accomplishments of African Americans like them, I couldn’t have imagined that I would possibly one day sit down on the ft of some of those pioneers and get to recognise them in my opinion, ike the diminutive and feisty Dorothy West.
I actually have many cherished reminiscences of warm conversations with the author of the novels “The Living Is Easy” and “The Wedding Party.” Dorothy West lived out her later years in a small cottage on Martha’s Vineyard. She turned into the final residing writer of the Harlem Renaissance, the vibrant and interesting time at some stage in the 1920s and 30s in Harlem, New York, while black writers, singers, visible artists, dancers and public intellectuals took element in a cultural revival.
West became one of the youngest of a group which includes Langston Hughes, the distinguished poet, creator, novelist and playwright whose poems dazzled his peers and the critics, and which nowadays are studied and popular through most students of literature and poetry. West shared many tales of adventures along with her near friend, whom she called “Lang."
I changed into incredulous after I first heard her refer to this literary massive via a nickname. “Lang!” I said to her, “You call Langston Hughes 'Lang'?!” She laughed, saying, “Of direction,” and reminded me that on the time neither he nor she concept of themselves as living records, including, “We have been simply residing our lives.”
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So many gifted African Americans will quickly be additions to the Black History Month roster for the next generations to learn about Stacy Abrams, Colin Kaepernick, of path, and alas, 17-12 months-old Darnella Frazier, who videotaped George Floyd’s dying breaths.
Black History Month writer Carter G. Woodson would absolute confidence be astounded to look how the history he valuable has been embraced and included into faculties and civic sports. It’s about time because Black history is American history, and we should all know the tale.
