Taking Black History Month Seriously

Last year, I took Black History Month very seriously and wrote the following on Facebook:

I am listening on Audible to Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.

[My husband] Steve and I went to see the movie Origin -- based on the Isabel Wilkerson book.

Steve and I have started watching the Hulu series The 1619 Project, based on the book by Nikole Hannah-Jones.

I have been taking the course on MasterClass on Black History, Freedom, and Love.

I watched the movie I Am Not Your Negro (streaming on Peacock and Prime Video) -- a documentary based on the late James Baldwin's unfinished book.

I have found every one of the above to be excellent, eye opening, and definitely challenging!

If you haven't seen or read them, I challenge you to consider expanding your knowledge on black history by exploring one or more of the above resources.

If you've gotten this far, thanks so much for reading my long post!

I learned so much, things that I, of course, did not learn in school.

Now, a year later, Black History Month is more important than ever. As the Florida man guts DEI programs and rescinds Lyndon Johnson’s 60 year old Equal Employment Opportunity executive order, we must educate ourselves on the history of the fight for equal rights and the significant accomplishments of black people throughout history.

The best way to educate yourself is by reading, especially books by black authors.

Here are two links to reading lists, the first from oprahdaily.com https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/g26187205/best-books-black-authors/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mgu_ga_opr_md_dsa_comm_org_us_g26187205&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA74G9BhAEEiwA8kNfpSMhIz_d6hSdWnFTE7GMt4gljrs29FMlj9qJTFaA7T5iWdGMyIFYiBoCcIUQAvD_BwE and the second from innocenceproject.org https://innocenceproject.org/books-black-history-month-baldwin-bell-hooks-jesmyn-ward/.

Here's one more list featuring biographies and memoirs from the New York Public Library (nypl.org) -- https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/blackhistorymonth/biographies-memoirs.

Another way to educate yourself is by watching documentaries and other movies featuring black history.

Here's a list from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- https://newsletter.oscars.org/what-to-watch/post/black-history-month-films-to-watch-in-observance?amp=.

Another excellent list from AARP -- https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/info-2022/black-history-month-specials-shows-movies-documentaries.html.

I hope you will celebrate Black History Month with me. Just researching for this post has given me some good ideas.

One more thing: If you are white like me, NOW is the time to stand up and be an ally for our black neighbors and all marginalized people who are seriously threatened by the current US administration.

Thank you for letting me express myself!

With love,

Angela

Click on the image for some Stevie Wonder for the fight: