By Tyrell Russell
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Black History Month.
Black History Month is a magical time of the year when we celebrate every toilet flush, cell phone call, load of laundry, opened door, good hair day, scrambled egg, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pullout couch, acoustic set, elevator, perfectly molded ice cream cone, key chain, lawn of fresh cut grass, traffic light, sharpened pencil, operating engine, clean floor, thump of the heartbeat, glass of lemonade and infamous SMU sprinkler (Google ‘List of Black Inventors’).
The United States formally sets aside a time to celebrate and appreciate black culture, history and contributions each year during the month of February. The event grew out of “Negro History Week.” In 1915, historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization designed to research and promote the achievements of black Americans and other peoples of African descent.
In 1926, the group went on to sponsor a national Negro History week in 1926. The week also took place in February and coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. The celebration garnered national attention as schools and communities throughout the US began establishing history clubs and hosting performances and lectures to recognize black history and culture.
By the late 1960s, Negro History Week evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford became the first president to officially recognize Black History Month. Since then, every US president has designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries, including Canada and Great Britain, also dedicate a month to celebrating black history and achievements.
Every single day of the year, often unconsciously, we celebrate black contributions to our society. In February, however, we make our celebration conscious. We make our celebration intentional. We can encase ourselves with the realization that without the contributions of black people, even since the origin of humanity, this world would be entirely different, even more complicated, and ridiculously inconvenient.
This month and every day, live in respect, gratitude and consciousness. Happy Black History Month!
