21st Birthday
On Friday, August 6th, 2021, I celebrated my 21st birthday. I started my day by going to Sankofa - a Black-owned cafe out here in D.C. - to do work. Some of the work I researched during my free time this week consisted of others who also talked about their birthdays in the Digital Archive. When researching the term “birthday'“ in the Digital Archive, many of the interviews consisted of how they as HistoryMakers took part in some sort of activism on their special days. An example of someone who celebrated their birthday fighting for civil rights and equality is Robert Lockwood. When watching the clip, “Robert Lockwood, Jr. describes his ninetieth birthday plans,” he discusses how everyday is a work day and that this upcoming one of his is no special either but instead is important to fight for what is right. However, this is not what all the clips I did my research on were like. There were many clips of HistoryMakers talking about how for their birthdays, they felt loved and special when a birthday party was hosted for them because it was not always a luxury everyone could afford to celebrate. An example of someone who related to this story was BeBe Winans. When interviewing the music producer, Winans describes how 16th birthdays were always the moments they celebrated because they could never afford to have a big birthday party every year.
The reason why I focused my search around birthdays is because before my 18th birthday, I always used to dread the day. I felt that it wasn't special enough nor that I was doing enough with my life for it to be celebrated like it was this huge event. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that I should genuinely cherish and celebrate any accomplishment in my life. Why? Because Black lives are taken from this earth so often. Even if not taken, we are still constantly targeted against the systematic racism that lies within the country. However, I also needed to realize that despite all this hate for us Black people, I am still fortunate enough to be here. I’m still fortunate enough to be breathing, walking, and living. That IS something worth celebrating and never taking for granted. Hence, I celebrated. I celebrated my 21st birthday all weekend, as if there was no tomorrow and I ended my weekend with no regrets and people who I hold close to my heart.
““The worst thing that can happen to you today is “nothing” because anything else, either good or bad, can help you learn to live life to the fullest.””
When searching throughout the Digital Archive, I didn’t land on an exact quote that I felt screamed at me for my birthday like Albert Einstein’s quote, however, I want to combine what a few people said in their interviews to give us my favorite quote of the week. When watching the clips, “How Benaree Wiley would like to be remembered,” “Dr. William Alexander Jackson Ross describes how he would like to be remembered,” and how “Diana Williams describes how she would like to be remembered,” they all basically say that they want to be remembered as people who lived their lives to the absolute fullest, and I too would like to be someone who is viewed in this light. I say this because as I mentioned earlier, Black lives are taken everyday from us on this earth, and although I pray I live as long as possible, if I take my last breathe sooner than expected, I want those around me to remember me for the energy and love I bring with me.
