Black History Month is a time during which black people celebrate those who came before them – both famous activists and people whose names we may never know that have left their mark on a community of people still fighting for a cause started before their time.
This celebration is not only one that commemorates the lives of those who came before you; but also at the lives that have been stolen. So much has been stolen from a people who receive so little. Lives - family members, brothers, sisters, teachers, the corner store cashier, future leaders, future doctors, politicians, saviours, have been brutally robbed of a life; and for what? I think Black History Month should be used by those of different races to learn. There is so much empathy and knowledge to be found and fear and misunderstandings to be eradicated if the differences we share could be used as motivation to learn and understand. I would be lying if I said it was that simple. That we could just sit around a campfire, share our innermost secrets and get to know one another and that would be it: prejudice, racism and murder gone! It will never be that simple. Instead of regarding African-Americans as humans – people cling to the generational beliefs – and I say generational because I am of the opinion that racist tendencies and prejudices are shared around the dinner table – and prejudices. Because for some reason it appears that it is easier to regard black people according to what you have been taught, than it is to admit and acknowledge the atrocities of the past that have left stains on the present. It is easier for you to claim that your views of black people are accurate and necessary, than it is to see the individuals, black individuals as people. People whose lives matter. People whose opinions, votes and voices matter. People who you may not and cannot sweep under the rug as irrelevant. Not again. The amazing thing, though? Regardless of your notions – and they are loud, we hear you; your memes, trolling and theft, we see you – you cannot ignore the black community. Not when you adopt their language, their hair and their clothes. Not when you borrow their ideas with less than a thank you. Not when your world was built on the backs of black people who fought for their – rightful – place in this world. Being black is an honour. One that will continue to be celebrated for eons to come. Being black affords you friendships across racial lines and status-because you understand. Being black fills you with a pride that cannot be taken from you. Being black comes with blessings like food that tastes like home, a community that takes care of their own and the music of a thousand voices paying homage to who they are and who they came from. "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." -Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom We can only hope, and hold out for the day that the love that African-Americans possess and share with their own and those different to them; will spill over. Until that love cannot be contained. Until then, continue to celebrate the greatness that you not only come from, but also the greatness that you possess. Black Lives Matter is an ongoing cause that will continue to serve as a voice for the voiceless, a voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves or cannot be heard. A voice for the people that deserve more than what this world has given them. A voice that holds power. The following are organizations you can join and donate to, pages you can follow and people you can connect with; to add your own voice to the many others that continue to speak up when they are asked to be silent.
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