Black History 365, 366 In a Leap Year
Reader,
When Carter G. Woodson envisioned Negro History Week (which eventually became Black History Month), he and others didn't imagine it would be siloed to just February. He saw this as a template for how to infuse Black history into curriculum across schools and institutions year-round. Unfortunately, we haven't reached that worthwhile dream, but we must press on.
At a time when people across the board are using anti-Blackness and structural efforts towards justice to split communities apart, now is the time to hold the line on what we believe and who we believe in. Our Black students don't just matter. They deserve the breadth of dignity, equity, and shared humanity this world can provide. Our communities, including our educators and families, deserve this as well.
In Black communities (and others, surely), the phrase "We all we got" has been a clarion call for mutual care through the strife. For the coming years, I urge us to hold to this spirit. Let's do right by our ancestors and build accordingly.
