This past Tuesday was Groundhog Day – although I think 2020 should be renamed Groundhog Year. Apparently Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Tuesday morning and, as legend holds, that means six more weeks of winter. His predictions have been wrong for the past two years, however he may have read this week’s headlines declaring that extreme Arctic weather is heading to all 50 states due to the Polar Vortex collapsing! I am not 100 percent certain exactly what that means but it doesn’t sound very pleasant. Time to get the thermals out!
I am sure many of you are aware that February is also the month that Chinese New Year is celebrated. 2021 is the Year of the Ox, which supposedly (and hopefully) means ‘stability and nourishment’. I am sure it represents many other things too, but these are the two that leapt out at me and gave me a bit of hope for us all.
Black History Month also falls in February in Canada and the USA. Regular readers of this column may also remember that we dedicated our platforms last October to observe Black History Month UK. Brits in LA members shared some great stories of their experiences being Black & British and Kara ‘KJ’ Miller produced a series of interviews covering topics such as “Black, British & Out” and “How to Talk about Race with your Kids”. You can watch these and more over on our Facebook page @BritsinLA.
Our participation made me realize how little I knew about the origins of Black History Month so I set out to learn more and was surprised to discover that the first seeds were sewn over 100 years ago in 1915.
Carter G. Woodson is often referred to as the ‘Father of Black History’. Born in Virginia in 1875 to parents that were former slaves that couldn’t read or write may have not been the easiest of starts but it didn’t stop him from going on to be the second African American to earn a PHD at Harvard University (in 1912). It was during his studies that he witnessed the lack of information and underrepresentation of black people and how they shaped American history.
So in 1915, he and Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, or the asalh.org. The organization promoted studying black history and celebrated the accomplishments of African Americans. This then led them to launching ‘Negro History Week” in February 1926 evolving into Black History Month by the 1960s. It wasn’t until 1976 when President Gerald Ford decreed it a national observance, stating ‘In celebrating Black History Month we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” In honor of all the work that Dr. Carter G. Woodson has done to promote the study of African American History, an ornament of Woodson hangs on the White House’s Christmas tree each year.
There are many who believe this month-long educational celebration is now outdated or unnecessary and others who criticize it being delegated to just one month or that the focus is very limited to the most celebrated black Americans. The founder, Dr Woodson had also believed that this would be a short-term thing, optimistically assuming that the inclusion of black history would be standard practice by now. But sadly that still hasn’t happened nationwide and until it does I don’t think we should even entertain the idea of curtailing this observance, do you?
We mustn’t forget that February is also the month to celebrate Valentines Day. I think this year we should all use the occasion to send notes, cards or messages to everyone we love and care about. As one thing we have all learned from this past year is just how important our friends and family really are. If you are free next Tuesday make sure to join us for our Virtual Quiz night. All details can found on our Facebook page or drop me a an email at eileen@Britsin.la
Cheers!
Eileen
