We’ve celebrated Black History month since 1926 when it first began as “Negro History Week.” Now in the 20th century we continue to acknowledge this tradition, but is this celebration fading? When we look towards the month of February the first thing we remember is St. Valentine’s Day, then we might, just might, remember Black History Month next to all of our other events and busy schedules.
Television shows acknowledge Black History Month with short commercial clippings of famous African Americans or Historical black figures, but is that enough to pay tribute to all of these heroes? Is a one minute commercial of Martin Luther King’s history acceptable compared to a two minute commercial of E-harmony.com?
Let’s be truthful Martin Luther King once had a dream, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” It’s true we have heard of his dream and we’ve seen it come true to an extent, but as a community and even as a country we have not fully recognized the dream and educated the people with even half of our historical black heroes.
Black History Month is to give these heroes a month of tribute to the fullest we can possibly give. If we don’t then will the words of MLK’s dream fade away and what does happen to a dream deferred, as Langston Hughes puts it?
Does it Shrivel Up like a Raisin in the Sun?
Or Fester like a Sore and then Run?
Does it Stink like Rotten Meat?
Or Crust and Sugar Over like a Syrupy Sweet?
Maybe It Just Sags like a Heavy Load
. –Or Does it Explode?