02/02/2024
From my Brilliant Soror… Aresa DrAresa Rochester…
“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”- Dr. Carter G. Woodson
“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”
-Dr. Carter G. Woodson
As we embark on Black History Month this year, let us embrace the words shared with us from the “Godfather of Black History Month”, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. We must honor our lineage and rich heritage. We must ensure that the stories of old continue to be passed down from generation to generation and fall from our lips with the knowledge of griots of Mother Africa! Let us not shy away from our history…the good or the bad. Let us never forget what we have accomplished, overcame, and persevered through; let resilience be the cover story of every tale and ingenuity be the black words written on every page. We must be the storytellers today and always. Do not allow the ignorance and false martyrdom cloud our judgement with arrogance and pride as evidenced by consistent words of “We don’t need to talk about Black History” or “February doesn’t matter” or “Black History doesn’t matter because Black History is everyday”. It is fact that Black History should be celebrated, taught, and acknowledged 365 days, however, it is equally true that we must honor the legacy of the man who gave us this month of celebration, which once was a day then a week. So, let’s bare witness that we will celebrate this month of Black History with zeal and jubilation as we commit ourselves to sharing our history with our children, with the community, and the world. Thank you, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, for your intellectual genius, your scholarship, your example! Thank you for giving us The Miseducation of the Negro! Thank you for your vision and foresight as both have relevance today. As the African Proverb states, “Until the lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero”…..we will tell our story…we will be our own griots….we will never forget! Happy Black History Month!