Black History Month – 2022

​Throughout American and world history, Black people ofevery ethnicity, have contributed mightily to all societies, yet they have been intentionally mistreated, misinformed, targeted, and even until this day, racially profiled and criticized for living their truth. In a day when we thought the horrors of slavery and racism were long gone, we find closeted—and even blatant—racists and bigots living among us. 

 

​History tells us that Carter G. Woodson helped create Black History Month’s predecessor, known as Negro History Week, in February 1926. However, it would not be until 1976, when U.S. presidents began acknowledging and celebrating Black History Month during the month of February. We, as an American society, have come a long way, yet we have much further to go as a nation. Recent history has proven to us that while extraordinary strides have been made, some in society choose to ignorantly hang on to the past.

 

​Black History Month has been a time to celebrate and honor African Americans in the United States who preceded all of us, including and especially civil rights trailblazers, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and many other leaders across various spectrums. While we admire the pioneers of the past, we also give due respect to those who came before and after them.

 

​Following in the footsteps of these giants are many of you, who swore to uphold the Constitution, defend our freedoms, and lead our Union into success. Today, we continue the celebration, but we do so with the utmost trepidation, for the fight is not over and freedom not truly won, until every Black person in this country and around the world experiences liberation without fear of retaliation or discrimination from those in authority and with perceived powers.