Black History Month: Celebrating our Roots

Black History Month: Celebrating our Roots

Courage. It lies deep within my veins. Pulsing, throbbing, pushing through to the surface. Bubbling with power unbeknownst to me, power emanating from my ancestors. An ancestry that cannot be traced due to a long history of rape, abuse, and theft. The history of slavery, when Africans were ripped from their tribes and displaced onto American soil. My blood runs thick with the power of these people. People who stood unfaltering for hours. Picking cotton. Folding tobacco leaves. Caring for another’s child, a child who might grow up to inflict deep flesh wounds upon others of the black community. Yet despite this injustice, they persevered. Freed themselves from their chains. Lived to see another day. Amazing power and strength passed from generation to generation.
This month we celebrate the incredible accomplishments of a community of people who were long hidden in the shadows. People who donned their melanin hues and ebony skin with grace, poise, and purpose. Today, we acknowledge their feats and we acknowledge that the acceptance of black culture has opened the door to create acceptance for people of other communities. The strength of the black community also has the potential to be the strength for the Latinx community, for the LGBTQ community, and more. We can draw on each other’s experiences; we can draw on each other’s knowledge. Because united, we find strength. The strength for a better, more inclusive, and kinder tomorrow.
I challenge you. Encourage you. Take that one extra step past complacency and do research into the history of your roots. Where did you come from? How has that affected your privilege and your day-to-day routine? Learn about your ancestors so they can lead you to a new location. A place of hope. Let us learn from the past and move elegantly into the future.

Blog Contribution By: Djenne Dickens, Yemaya Chapter
Image By: Angelica Beverly, Dhyani Chapter