I'M Black and I'M Proud

In 1976 President Gerald R. Ford dedicated February as the official month to honor and celebrate achievements made by African-Americans, as well as recognize their central role in the creation and betterment of the United States. Black History Month was born and every US President has dedicated the annual celebration since. They chose the second month of the year due to Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr’s birthdays falling in that month. Two great men that helped emancipate the millions of American slaves from bondage and proving segregated mistreatment is not true equality. While Lincoln and Dr. King should be celebrated for their years of work and courage, so should the hundreds of other political and social activists that worked every day to ensure a better future for the millions of African-Americans that were treated inferior due to the color of their skin. Men and women like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, WEB Du Bois, and Rosa Parks fill the historical textbooks that educate the future

The time has come again to celebrate the achievements of all black men and women who have chipped in to form the Black society. There are television programs about the African Queens and Kings who never set sail for America, but are acknowledged as the pillars of our identity. In addition, our black school children finally get to hear about the history of their ancestors instead of hearing about Columbus and the founding of America. The great founding of America briefly includes the slavery period and the Antebellum south, but readily excludes both black men and women, such as George Washington Carver, Langston Hughes, and Mary Bethune. These men and women have contributed greatly to American society.

We are the only people on the face of the Earth that were taken into slavery, taken to a strange land, lost our identity, our religion, lost any inkling of our true African history. We are the only people that once set free from slavery, continue to sit in the land of the people that enslaved us and continue to support a system that works against our very existence.

Finally, we as Americans should make our way up and not be holding our American pride down keeping people of African descent, as slaves or fighting as a nation while we can become stronger as one and get together no matter who you

African Americans have endured many trials and tribulations over the centuries. Our people have suffered from war, violence, and anguish simply because of the color of our skin. Our history has been so blatantly missing from textbooks and the K-12th grade educational atmosphere. Our educational system continues to neglect the history of our African American ancestors and fail to provide them with the educational resources to inform them of our past and allow them to learn about the true origins of our culture. We have made many significant contributions to the world but those have also been highly ignored as well.

Over the course of this semester, I was introduced to many people, ideas, writings, and discussions that sparked my interest and enlightened me on African American history. However, I feel like this was just the beginning of my journey of learning the history of my people, as there is still so much out there to be brought to the surface. Prior to taking this course, I was always ignorant on the topic of African American history and simply made the connection to slavery. Additionally, I was unaware of other black activist, movements, and struggles that I had the chance to witness for the first time in this class. I came to a realization of how deprived of this information I was, because other historic events have been deemed more important. A quote that stuck with me throughout the course that was made by Arthur Schomburg was, “... African history and negro history, are the missing pages of world history”.

When we think of African American history we often forget about the people before the civil rights movement. The people who paved the way for future leaders. Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and Rosa parks are often who we think of. We forget about individuals that made a significant impact that led us to the present place we are today. Harriet Tubman's contribute to history was that she was the conductor of the Underground Railroad, which helped bring slaves to freedom. Harriet Tubman was an abolitionist and was part of the woman's suffrage move.

Through the years we have realized that the African American community has grown and developed. Our communities have come to live in harmony with one another. Although it took a long time for African Americans to get their say in society, they have come to show the world that they deserve their chance. We have learned that we need each other because it brings more color, music, and new ideas into our lives.

“We are not makers of history, we are made by history,” once said by Martin Luther King Junior. Black history has impacted all of our lives, regardless of our race or the color of our skin. Therefore, it is imperative that we all explore black history. In modern society, most adolescents can’t even begin to fathom what it was like to live in the 1950s as an African American. Moreover, they don’t recognize the colossal sacrifices African Americans made in order to obtain equality. Many juveniles find it difficult to wrap their heads around what life was like prior to all of these pivotal icons that paved the way for our contemporary lifestyle. Icons much like Ineria Hudnell who revolutionized academia in Florida.

Within our school's education system we often center the black activist movement around those such as Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, and so on. While these people have important significance, others who are less known; who have contributed to our nations has fallen into shadows, of which are not spoken of to the point that it has become untold stories. These people are taught to us in school, as role models

Among the men and women who have fought this fight there are many famous names, but there are many more who have fought just as hard and their stories have been lost to the tides of time. This is one of those stories. This is a call to remember those names that have been lost to obscurity and a call to further explore the history of black history.

Strength as a community is one of the most powerful tools in the society we live in. As Canadians, we are proud of the rich history of breaking down barriers we hold with many diverse groups. As a nation – we serve to provide an exemplar to other nations about how Canadians embrace their unity and the demographics outlines by society do not create walls between Canadians. Through Black History month – we honor the sacrifices of the social minority groups who have continued to make an effort to become a part of Canadian society, and recognize the contributions these individuals have made towards our society. Since colonial times, this group of individuals have struggled to become recognized. African-Canadian history reveals the brutal injustices

My group’s history is wide ranging spanning for many years and varying from region to region within the United States. I remember when I was young I use to talk to my mother a lot and asked her many questions like “Why am I called an African American?” She went on to explain that our race originally comes from Africa and we were part of a slave trade.

40 years ago, American government went from celebrating influential African Americans for only a week to a full month. This became the start of Black History Month. In the month of February, some Americans celebrate and remember black heroes around the United States for their efforts and accomplishments they made to help alleviate prejudice for present and future African Americans in order for them to have a chance at becoming successful and living the “American Dream” in peace. Though Americans still will exemplify discrimination towards African Americans today, vicious crimes towards blacks are not as detrimental as they used to be. As time continued from the beginning of Black History Month, many Americans have forgotten the importance of February. Black History Month shows that those who assisted in making America were not all of European descent. In my essay I want to bring the spotlight back to one of my favorite activists, Maya Angelou: a poet, author, performer, screenwriter, a strong, independent black woman who not only was intelligent but also the voice and the mind of the captive ones.

We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.