The Office of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Education has spent the month of February recognizing African American people, their allies, the places and events that left an indelible mark in the annals of American history. And while many will argue, and we agree, that African American History is relevant every month of the year, we also recognize the significance to pause during this month- as envisioned by Carter G. Woodson, “The Father of Black History Month”, who said, “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”1. He, Frederick Douglass, Sidney Poitier, Alice Coachman and many others, laid the foundation and lit the path on now which we stand and walk. And like them, most of us have trailblazers in our personal lives- parents, family members and friends- that have set the path, lit the way and continue to inspire us to do, be and give all that we can to improve our circumstances, be the change and leave the world better than we found it.
Let’s keep on, keepin’ on, or in today’s vernacular- Let’s “stay woke”!
“Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”
–Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more about, visit https://www.blackfacts.com/, http://blackhistorydaily.com/ https://blackamericaweb.com/category/little-known-black-history-facts/
1. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/142122.Carter_G_Woodson