Historian Carter G. Woodson has been known and referred to as The Father of Black History Month for as long as most can remember. The 28-day holiday dates back to 1926 or earlier, when Woodson began celebrating what was then called Negro History Week.
The week selected was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14), who were both celebrated in the Black community for their roles in the fight against slavery.
During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s the week-long celebration was extended to a month and by 1976 President Gerald Ford officially designated February as Black History Month.
This month, also known as National African American History Month, was intended to celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans – accomplishments that for too long went unacknowledged. In the years since its inception the list of notable African Americans and their accomplishments has grown to exceed the historically few mentioned (MLK, Harriet Tubman, Garret A Morgan et al.) to include the Black female mathematicians working for NASA and contributing to the organization’s efforts in space travel and exploration and Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, a Black American physicist and inventor whose research enabled the invention of Caller ID, fiber optic cables, the portable fax machine and solar cells for the portable smart phones we now use on a daily basis.
LGBTQ+ community members have also been included, while in the past the identities of these individuals was often not mentioned at all. Folks like Bayard Rustin, MLK’s confident, mentor and the organizer of The March on Washington; Lorainne Hansberry, author of “A Raisin in The Son,” Pauli Murray, a Black queer legal pioneer, lawyer and poet; and Ron Oden the first openly gay African American man elected mayor of an American City [Palm Springs, Calif.].
In recent times, the holiday is celebrated with the availability of a plethora of Black films (in theaters and via mass media and streaming networks; some including the people previously mentioned), special school projects and lessons, festivals and other celebrations.
However, this year, Americans might experience a shift in how the month is celebrated while the most recent election and inauguration has incited increased oppression and discrimination towards already marginalized groups. Needless to say the Black LGBTQ community is one such group.
While some debate the disallowing of Critical Race Theory (i.e., Black History being taught in schools) – others are in meetings discussing how an infringement upon their civil rights is prompting them to think about fleeing the land their ancestors built for free with their slave labor for seemingly greener pastures. And it’s no wonder either. This Black History Month there’s plenty to be disenchanted about – starting with the current President’s inauguration when supporter Elon Musk gave a frightening indication of the trajectory of the current administration with a heinous gesture that looked eerily close to the infamous Nazi salute. Ironically, one would be arrested today if seen making the same gesture in Germany. In America, however, the gesture served to remind citizens of how tenuous their rights as Americans have become.
Wondering what all this has to do with Black History Month? Well, Hitler’s reign made it clear what power in the hands of a supremacist can yield as the Jewish community wasn’t the only minority community victimized by inhumane treatment and mass murder. Anyone who did not hail from or fit within his Aryan race ideals fell prey to their plans for a totalitarian regime. This also included Black folks and anyone deemed to be part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Simply stated, these horrific civil rights infringements were facilitated by a hate fueled minority oppressing and abusing the majority. Sound familiar? It should. Project 2025 is chock full of directives that will impact undocumented immigrants, BIPOC individuals convicted of any criminal activities and trans people seeking to change their identification cards or use a public restroom.
Black History month brings the Civil Rights movement to the forefront of American culture by illuminating the history and accomplishments of those who have built, fought, died and continue to fight for civil rights we now call DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion]. As we know, the civil rights movement laid the groundwork and/or impacted many other actions, including the women’s movement and the fight for LGBTQ equality.
Regrettably, we’ve already seen during these first few days since the inauguration a push for the erasure of these integral rights and freedoms. In less than a week we’ve seen pages on the White House website disabled (the Spanish Version of the site has vanished), along with a slew of frightening directives and executive orders.
Note these listed in the category of diversity, transgender rights and civil rights. This new administration aims to:
- Require collection of DNA samples and fingerprints from immigration detainees under a 2005 federal law.
- Redefine birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. A Trump order asserts that a child born in the U.S. is not a citizen if 1) the mother does not have legal immigration status or is in the country legally but only temporarily and 2) the father is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- Give executive branch departments and agencies 60 days to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, including all “chief diversity officer” jobs, “equity action plans” and “environmental justice” positions. Require departments and agencies to give the White House Office of Management and Budget an accounting of previous DEI efforts, including names of relevant DEI contractors and DEI grant recipients.
- Repeal several Biden-era directives on racial and ethnic equity and LGBTQ rights. They included orders intending to ensure equitable distribution of federal money based on the 2020 census; preventing government discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation and specifically encouraging inclusion in school settings; White House educational initiatives for Native Americans, Hispanics and Black Americans; and an order expressly allowing transgender persons to serve in the military.
- Require that the U.S. Government recognize two genders only – male and female – on passports, visas, Global Entry cards and all other forms and documents, and in all programs and communications.
- Mandate that all federal civil rights law and labor law be interpreted and enforced with the understanding that “sex” is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of “gender identity.”
So, how do we celebrate this Black History Month? What do we do, how do we carry the torch of all those who have sacrificed for the freedoms that hang in the balance? We might want to start by recognizing that Black History is American history. We might put stock in what is possible when the othered unify against a common enemy. Just to be clear, that enemy is any anti-democratic and inhuman effort that aims to eliminate the affirming, recognition and/or upholding of the civil liberties and human rights of all citizens. because these are the roots of the establishment of Black History Month and because together, we are stronger.
