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I told myself I wasn't going to write a blog celebrating black history in February. As most black people already know, black history is America's history. We built America with our sweat, blood, and tears. There aren't enough days in February to celebrate African-American's contributions to making America great. I use the term "great" loosely because we all know that with America's long history of slavery and the inhumane suffering that accompanied slavery that America was never really that great. It's just a relative term referring to the economic wealth that America has accumulated as the leader of the world.
The lessons that we learn in America's classrooms simplify slavery and regulates the civil rights era to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. Now, while Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of my personal heroes, it should be duly noted that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks didn't change America by themselves. Martin Luther King, Jr. lead the way and rallied our fathers and mothers to participate in the greatest American sit-in demonstration that the world has ever seen. I just want to make sure that we remember that Malcom X and his followers also aided in moving America to change legal terminology that implemented the Civil Rights Acts. The Civil Rights Acts allowed us to participate in American society as full human beings and not as 2/3's human like the U.S. Constitution depicted. The U.S. Constitution used civilized legal terminology that was aimed at the furtherance of savage treatment for black people in America.
I want to shout out not only Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks but our father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, aunties, uncles, and cousins who all did something in different forms of protest against the brutal treatment of black people in America. I also want to shout out everyone who shined like a light in the darkness of racism in America. Let's remember Frederick Douglas, Ida B. Wells, Fannie Lou Hammer, Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, James Baldwin, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Harriet Tubman, and Sojournor Truth. There are so many other leaders in government, culture, arts, science, and communities who serve as a light in this dark world. There are so many people who we know personally who did something whether voting for the first time, marching, or testifying in court. We are a great people! All of us! How can we fit all of our contributions to America in 28 days? We are too dynamic to fit in a box, too dynamic to fit in the shortest month of the year.
We strive to overcome injustices every day. The fight is not over. Institutional racism is still here. Let's keep fighting the good fight! Let's all strive to live an inspired life.
Here I am purposely engaging in inspired living!
Blessings,
Rachel Mason
