DEI Monthly

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“Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.” – Ola Joseph

Sources: Wikipedia CNET

National Black History Month

February, 2023

“Darkness can not drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that”

Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently has been observed in Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

In this edition, we hope to share many ways in which we can all celebrate, participate and engage in convesations about Black History Month.

Everyone of us has the responsibility for ensuring our own education. Everyone of us has the responsibility of engaging others.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

How Can You Participate in Black History Month?

WHILE THERE ARE A LOT OF OPTIONS, WE’RE HOPING TO OUTLINE A FEW HERE TO MAKE THEM MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR YOU. WE WILL INCLUDE BOOKS BY PROMINENT BLACK AUTHORS, MOVIES, VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, GIVING OPPORTUNITIES, AS WELL AS MUSEUMS AND OTHER CULTURAL WAYS TO CELEBRATE!

If you’ve had time to look at the Wikipedia site as referenced in the Sources section of this article, you probably learned of Black History Month’s origin. If you didn’t have time to review it - here’s a brief summary:

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week”.[8] This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and that of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which dates Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.

Throughout the 1930s, Negro History Week countered the growing myth of the South’s “lost cause”, as epitomized in both the novel and the film Gone with the Wind. That myth argued that enslaved people had been well-treated, that the Civil War was a war of “northern aggression”, and that Black people had been better off under slavery. “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions”, Woodson wrote in his book The Miseducation of the American Negro, “you do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his ‘proper place’ and will stay in it.”[16]

Negro History Week grew in popularity throughout the following decades, with mayors across the United States endorsing it as a holiday.

IN TURN WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU HOW YOU PARTICIPATED IN THIS YEARS BLACK HISTORY MONTH!

Carter G. Woodson (1875 - 1950)

Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970.[4]

Six years later, Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture, and community centers, both great and small, when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”.

When first established, Black History Month resulted in some controversy.[33] Those who believed that Black History Month was limited to educational institutions questioned whether it was appropriate to confine the celebration of Black history to one month, as opposed to the integration of black history into mainstream education for the whole of the year. Another concern was that contrary to the original inspiration for Black History Month, which was a desire to redress how American schools failed to represent Black historical figures as anything other than enslaved people or colonial subjects, Black History Month could reduce complex historical figures to overly simplified objects of “hero worship”. Other critics refer to the celebration as a form of racism.[34] Actor and director Morgan Freeman and actress Stacey Dash have criticized the concept of declaring only one month as Black History Month.[35][36] Freeman noted, “I don’t want a Black history month. Black history is American history.”[37]

Since its inception, Black History Month has expanded beyond its initial acceptance in educational establishments. Carter Woodson’s organization, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), designates a theme each year: for example, “Black Health and Wellness” in 2022 focused on medical scholars, health care providers, and health outcomes.[38] In 2018, Instagram created its first-ever Black History Month program with the help of its then Head of Global Music & Youth Culture Communications, SHAVONE. Instagram’s Black History Month program featured a series of first-time initiatives, including a #BlackGirlMagic partnership with Spotify and the launch of the #CelebrateBlackCreatives program, which reached more than 19 million followers.[39] By 2020, Black History Month had become a focus beyond schools. The Wall Street Journal describes it as “a time when the culture and contributions of African Americans take center stage” in a variety of cultural institutions, including theaters, libraries, and museums.

Notable Civil & Human Rights Leaders...

A. Phillip Randolph

1889 - 1979

Asa Philip Randolph was an American labor unionist and civil rights activist. In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African-American led labor union. In the early Civil Rights Movement and the Labor Movement, Randolph was a prominent voice.

Rosa Parks

1913

- 2005

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement”.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

1929

- 1968

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be antiracist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.” – Ijoema

Harriette Moore

Harriette Tubman

James L. Farmer, Jr.

1902 - 1952

Harriette Vyda Simms Moore was an American educator and civil rights worker. She was the wife of Harry T. Moore, who founded the first branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Brevard County, Florida.

1822 - 1913

Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.

1920 - 1999

James Leonard Farmer Jr. was an American civil rights activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement “who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation, and served

Oluo

Books, Movies & More...

List of books to read

While not a comprehensive of books to read, here are a few favorites; inspirational, engaging and enlightening. Take some time this month to read one (or two) and let us know your favorites. OR - share with us your reading list!

• I Always Knew: A Memoir by Barbara Chase-Riboud

• The Street, by Ann Petry

• Finding Me, by Viola Davis

• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

• The Sweetness of Water, by Nathan Harris

• 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History by Jeffrey C. Stewart

• Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

• Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

• Becoming by Michelle Obama

“A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option – for peace cannot exist where justice is not served.” – John Lewis

... Are movies more your style?

Summer of Soul

The film examines the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which took place on six Sundays between June 29 and August 24 at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem, using professional footage of the festival that was filmed as it happened, stock news footage, and modern-day interviews with attendees, musicians, and other commentators to provide historical background and social context.

Despite its large attendance and performers such as Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, The 5th Dimension, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mavis Staples, Blinky Williams, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Chambers Brothers, the festival is much less well-known in the 21st century than is Woodstock (which took place on the same weekend as one of the days of the Harlem Cultural Festival), and the filmmakers investigate this, among other topics.

Hidden Figures

Based on a true story, the film tells the incredible story of the Black female mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race. Until the book of the same name was released, the story was hardly known and often untold. Both the film and novel are worth exploring.

... Movies

Art is at its best when it reflects the world around us, offers insight into others’ lived experiences, teaches us something about our history or holds a mirror up to our own lives. And if we’re lucky, it’s all of the above. Regardless of your background, adding more diverse films to your movie night diet shows Hollywood how important they really are. Not only does watching more movies about Black History and films that center on Black stories offer a learning experience, but it helps the cause of aligning media with what the world we live in actually looks like.

Freedom Riders

Freedom Riders were groups of white and African American civil rights activists who participated in Freedom Rides, bus trips through the American South in 1961 to protest segregated bus terminals

Sylvie’s Love

A young woman falls for an aspiring saxophone player she meets in her father’s 1950’s Harlem record shop in this stirring period drama. Their romance transcends changing times, geography and even their professional aspirations

A Most Beautiful Thing

A sports movie for people who think they don’t like sports movies, this one chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in the country, made up of former members of rival Chicago gangs. It’s heartfelt and inspiring.

What else can you do to support Black History Month?

February, 2023

There are many things each of us can do. It starts wtih talking, understanding and learning. We’d love to hear how you participated in Black History Month activities~

1. Education: Read an article about Black History Month, its origin and current state...

2. Visit a Black or African American history museum. ...

3. Learn about Black music history by listening online. ...

4. Support Black-owned businesses and restaurants. ...

5. Donate to Black organizations and charities. ...

6. Attend local Black History Month events locally or virtually

7. Watch Black history documentaries and movies (You can find movies and documentaries exploring the Black experience right now on Netflix, Disney Plus and other streaming services)

“Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” – Michelle Obama

Your RI DEI Council

Sharon Hamilton

Cesar Futema

Laura Meck

Randall Jackson

Jeff Daniels

Mary Ellen Callaghan

Ed Rivera

Tory Cook

Ingrid Zohar

“A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option – for peace cannot exist where justice is not served.”

– John Lewis