Being Black in America
The Movement
What is the meaning of black history?
Black History is a time when African Americans Can take the time out and see what the people before them fought for. Black History is a time of rejoicing, celebrating, and thanking those African Americans for giving Us hope or a life lesson that could be used.
Origin of Black History Month
- February is dedicated to Black History Month, honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history, including the civil rights movement and their artistic, cultural, and political achievements.
- The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.
- The observation of Black History Month dates back to 1915, when Carter G. Woodson, now known as the “Father of Black History,” created an organization called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. In 1926, Woodson initiated the first “Negro History Week”.
READ MORE: The Man Behind Black History Month
- In the decades that followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing "Negro History Week." By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil rights movement and a growing awareness of Black identity, "Negro History Week" had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses.
- National Negro History week in 1926, choose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs, and host performances and lectures.
BLACK PANTHER PARTY
The Black Panthers, also known as the Black Panther Party, was a political organization founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale...
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Video during the 1960s in the United States, young people began speaking and writing this phrase as a form of rebellion against what they perceived as oppression by the older generation.
President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Today, Black History Month is a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society—from activists and civil rights pioneers such as Angela Davis, Sojourner Truth, Marcus Garvey, John Lewis, Fannie Lou, and Jesse Jackson to leaders in industry, politics, science, culture and more.
WHO AM I ?
46.8 million people in the U.S. identify as Black
The U.S. Black population is growing. In 2019, 46.8 million people in the U.S. identified their race as Black.
RACISM IN AMERICA TODAY
The coronavirus, fueled by America’s pre-existing condition of structural racism, spread with a fatal swiftness through Black neighborhoods. Communities of color bore the heavy brunt of sickness and death. The cellphone video of George Floyd’s killing and the revelation of Breonna Taylor’s final hours sparked an international outcry during the pandemic’s tightest grip. This compounding crisis mobilized a long-overdue national reckoning on the legacy of structural racism, police violence, and the need for police reform. The established pattern of disproportionate damage in communities of color, once again, bore out in the face of the pandemic-induced recession: In every instance, Black and brown people lose their lives and their livelihoods at predictably higher rates. Given the litany of disparities that defined our pre-pandemic “normal,” we can not—and must not—return to “normal.”
We are called to reimagine “normal” and forge a new, diverse, equitable, and inclusive normal.
Blacks and Whites Differ About Treatment of Blacks in America Today
How to explain racism to your child/ren
Even young children notice things and may be scared or confused by what they've seen or heard. Help Children and Teenagers Cope with Racial Stressors. Learn more, click here!
Divergent Experiences
Are schools still segregated ? Are BLACK children paying a price?
Why are schools in the U.S. still racially segregated?
Black children are five times as likely as white children to attend schools that are highly segregated by race and ethnicity.
Race High-minority (51-100%)
White: 12.9%
Black: 69.2%
READ MORE: An eye-opener!
Inheritance
African American Culture: Black History Month is an opportunity to understand Black histories, going beyond stories of racism and slavery to spotlight Black achievement. Learning about black history is good for all students, not just African-American students. It helps end racism.
Email: lavinameeks@gmail.com
Mrs. Lavina Meeks
Mrs. is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters