Black History Month, the Celebration that Started at 7 and Finishes at 28
It is officially the beginning of Black History Month! Everyone is encouraged to use this as an opportunity to celebrate blackness. Take a journey, looking through the rich history of your family, not just pictures, recipes, notes, journals, and maps. All these documents tell a story, in fact, your story. It is encouraged that these staples of your family's lineage be preserved, so you can access them to further your research and help your family memories live on. Not only should you use this time to focus on your history, but start to dig into many contributions of black history across many categories; there is so much to cover. In an interview with Elizabeth Catlett, whom many Hampton University students should know due to our very own museum housing some of her work, she was asked: "And when you say you studied Black History, was it a continuous study, or I mean it was, I'm assuming it was more than just Black History week or Black History Month." She confidently replied with, "Oh yeah, yeah," which is the response many should have when reflecting on black history overall, do not let this be the only month to focus on black history. There is so much more information that you could not even cover during February.
This celebration was not always a month-long celebration, as it started as Negro Week. Many celebrate this holiday without knowing the history of how it came to be; luckily for us, Carol Randolph-Jasmine took the time to share; "People don't understand that when [Carter G.] Woodson founded Black History Month, or Negro History Week, rather, he founded it as a time to show off projects you worked on the entire year. A lot of people think that's the only time we're supposed to celebrate because that week's the time to celebrate it; I mean the time to do the research, but he encouraged the research to be done ahead of time, so it would be like a science fair. Negro History Week would be the time when you would show your projects off." (Carol Randolph-Jasmine)
The celebration of this historic month looks different for everyone. Communities or organizations may have significant events, or families may host something special within their neighborhoods or households to bring awareness. When exploring the various celebration examples, many history makers of the archive shared unique experiences, saying;
"When black history month came, I put on these plays for all the women, all the girls in the school. I bought helium, black helium balloons for every girl in the school, gave every girl one, and when school would let out, they would let all the balloons go up into the sky. I put on an African festival for the entire school--I mean, I was everything at that school. And the kids loved me." (Joseph Marshall)
"They go round to different schools in the county and speak to history classes and government classes, to talk about their experiences; so that kids don't lose sight and lose touch of, kind of where they've come from and where the nation's come from." (Benita Fitzgerald Mosley)
"Negro History Week [Black History Month] in Roanoke [Virginia] was a big week at that high school, Lucy Addison High School [Roanoke, Virginia]. They had programs during the week, and your parents, people--everybody came to that for a twelve o'clock session. So you'd have speakers in and all, and I remember that my mother [Neoda Ware Saunders] would come over. And it was a little candy store on the corner, and they would buy homemade candy, make homemade candy, and they would buy this homemade candy. And so, at night, we would have, during Negro History Week, we had candy from the candy store for our dessert. And I used to just--all--as far as I was concerned, all that was sweet (laughter), just sweet times and sweet candy and all of that stuff. So it was just a very warm, pleasant kind of experience for us with that." (Florence Farley) The beauty in this response given by Ms. Farley is that she not only had a communal black history celebration she could attend, but her family also had a sweet little celebration within themselves. Whether you incorporate a sweet treat or special meal, or dessert, this means of celebration through food is common and appreciated by many. Stop and reminisce on this thought piece; during various gatherings or festivals, the food served is the staple of the event. From beignets to biscuits, food brings people together, and meals reflect the heritage and journey of the surrounding community.
I know not everyone gets this opportunity to be a part of a black history month celebration. It should also be acknowledged that even if your university or community school is not putting together much for a holiday, your blackness is still valid and should be celebrated. Even just Advocating for yourself can be a step in the right direction. No matter what age you are, advocacy is a part of amplifying your needs, which is a privilege that so many have fought for. Ms. Keymah was relatively young when she used her voice to advocate for herself, sharing, "You know, well, just a revolt at a Catholic girl's high school was we bang on the lunch tables and say roots, roots, roots, roots, and that was supposed make the nuns recognize that we were black girls and to respect our blackness and you know, do something for Black History Month or something. (T'Keyah Crystal Keymah) You are never too young to voice your needs, especially when calling for representation. Strengthen that voice, as it has gotten you so far.