Black History is More than Just a Month

Black History Month 2017  - by Lisa Nwoye

History

Black History is more than just a month long celebration. ‘Black History Month’ in the United States is dated as far back to 1926; during this time it was called ‘Negro History Week’. Negro History week took place during the second week of February due the the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14) . 

The United States officially acknowledged Black History Month in 1976 to take place during the entire month of February. The United Kingdom began to celebrate Black History Month in 1987 and Canada’s House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month and honored Black Canadians in 1995.

Black Wall Street

Black Wall Street defines what it means to circulate the Black Dollar in the United States. Black Wall Street was known as one of the most prestigious concentrations of Black/ African American owned Businesses in the United States. This community was established in Tulsa, Oklahoma during the early 20th century and lasted until the 1921 Tulsa race riot. The 1921 Tulsa race riot occurred when White residents took note of all of the success happening in Black Wall Street and decided to massacre hundreds of Black residents in Greenwood; the neighborhood in Tulsa where Black Wall Street existed. The neighborhood was completely destroyed within hours.

Greenwood consisted of almost all of Tulsa’s black lawyers, realtors, doctors, and other professionals and was know as one of the wealthiest black communities in the United States. During the time of the riot there were fifteen well-know African American doctors that resided in Greenwood. The city of Greenwood published two newspapers, the Tulsa Star and the Oklahoma Sun, which covered State and National news along with political elections. Black Wall Street had 600 businesses, 21 Churches, 21 Restaurants, 30 Grocery stores, 2 movie theaters, 6 private planes, 1 Hospital, 1 Bank, and its own school system. To think all of this was happening in 1921 and was destroyed within a few hours is very unfortunate. Remembering Black Wall Street is very important not only to Black History but also American History and should always be remembered and recognized.

Black Inventions:

Remember Egypt is on the continent of Africa, and Africa is where majority if not all of the black people who arrived in America came from. Egypt is historically known for being one of the oldest recorded forms of technology and civilization. 

Click Here: A List of African- American Inventors from 1845-1980

Education:

Ruby Bridges was the first Black child to attend an all White Elementary school in the South during the 1960s.

James Howard Meredith was the first African American to attend the segregated University of Mississippi in 1962. His admission to the University of Mississippi was originally denied solely due to his race. On May 31, 1961 the NAACP supported the lawsuit filed by Meredith in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. The case went through many hearings until the United States Court of Appeals ruled that Meredith had the right to be admitted to the Sate University. While in school he was able to focus on his education while dealing with harassment and extreme isolation; he graduated August 18, 1963. Upon graduating, Meredith decided to continue his education in Nigeria at the University of Ibadan focusing on Political science. In 1965 he returned to the United States and attended Columbia University and earned a LL.B (Law Degree) in 1968.

Politicians:

It’s very important to pay homage to Shirley Chisholm. Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968. Additionally, she represented New York’s 12th Congressional District for seven terms (1969-1983). Chisholm became the first Black candidate for a major party’s nomination for President of the United States, and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

Entertainment:

Nas (Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones) is a Hip Hop Recording Artist and Businessman. Better known for his lyrical approach through his music, has always provided knowledge and insight through his song lyrics. Nas also has multiple business ventures and recently launched a Black History collection for his clothing line HSTRY. A percentage of the sales from this collection will go towards the National Black Child Development Institute. 

Black History:

It’s important to be reminded that Black History is more than just a month long celebration of History. Through the numerous inventions created by black inventors Black History is part of everyday life for the average human.