Gilded with the rare beauty granted solely by timeless inspiration and characterized by silent cries for dire hopes of humanity unearthed by immaculate minds unparalleled, Black History Month commences Feb. 1 and is now in session. Voices strengthened with courage profound enough to believe change was well within reach reign then, now and forevermore as cultivators of new era of thought and life. A million men marching towards equality, a resiliently seated woman refusing to give up a soul captivating cause, a man with a world renowned dream and the hope of a race for the future of all unequal life forms in America.
Historical figures, such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King. Jr., Josephine Baker and so many more, paved the way for minorities from all backgrounds and left a legacy and well-ripened fruits of grand labor. Black History Month, as a whole, embodies a unifying force driven by the anchored desire for a yielding oppressive culture and a saving grace for differences unchosen by those who bear minority qualities of various stratospheres. A time for America to look back and marvel at how far we have truly come.
The actions and sacrifices of those in the past resonate throughout time as historical landmarks of their own. Dr. King spoke of a dream for little black boys and little white girls to simply be capable of playing together, to look at each other and see eye to eye, rather than create the superiority and inferiority complexes sought to keep fearful and narrow minded traditionalists on top. His words, along with many others, empower and continue to carry out a duty to a society once sickly laden with the utmost oppressive barriers. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for the sake of rights she failed to hold, according to our then-constitution of the United States. I cordially invite you to let marinate the fact that within that framed constitution, we hold oh so dearly and honorably an entire race was left out. I look back upon history, and I honestly ask myself how in the… and then I sit awestruck, dumbfounded by the progression alone. I then move to ponder the mentalities of leaders that literally had to think beyond the hand they were dealt in life, beyond the scope of society that was conditioned thoroughly to be fact and culture.
Black History Month is more than a month. Black History Month is a scar on the face of America to remind us of the rapid-filled stream up which African-Americans had to swim just to reach the land that had been bought and cultivated for the Caucasian race to enjoy lavishly. It commemorates the work for people who had not the tools to fight for themselves in a culture where everything about them was said to be wrong. It is a time to celebrate hope that justice can and will prevail.
I do not speak for an entire race, gender, class or any particular demographic. I speak solely as an individual with a heart that goes out to those individuals of whom captivate the soul and mind. 1965 was a year of substantial influence and shift. Equality became more than a notion dreamed of and sought after with contributions from Martin Luther King Jr. I do not take away from any other factor in the movement for black rights in our earlier America, such as the extraordinary Malcolm X. I pay homage to the man whom, in name, signifies a movement for a better life for me, my family, my friends and all who adhere to the legislation passed and mountains moved. As the years fly by, we as a nation tend to forget the ugly past. Actual laws set in stone to deprive an ethnicity of inalienable rights we take for granted daily. Such injustices that sickens the spirit and would make your skin crawl to live within the era and lay actual witness to.