By Elle Ryan, BS, Mental Health Counseling Intern
February is Black History Month, an event that started in 1925 as “Negro History Week” by Carter G. Woodson, a Black author, editor, publisher and historian. Later, President Gerald Ford would officially recognize Black History Month in 1976, urging American citizens to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” However, it was not until 1986 that Congress officially passed “National Black History Month” into law. Its purpose is to raise awareness of African Americans’ contributions to civilization and American Society as well as make Americans aware of the struggle for freedom and equal opportunity.
However, much of Black Americans’ historic struggle to receive freedom and equality has been watered down or entirely omitted in the curriculum of public schools across the country. These gaps in history have been well-researched and documented in a video produced by Knowing Better, which you can watch here:
Here’s a brief synopsis of the video:
Since the abolition of slavery in 1865, a new type of slavery emerged, neoslavery. This consisted of the criminal justice system being used as leverage to obtain as much labor and wealth out of Black people as possible. Institutionalization of neoslavery led to debt peonage and convict leasing, forcing Black people to pay back debt from the exorbitant fines of plantation owners. The debt would then be held over them, while continuously increasing the fine, taking them years to pay it off. Those who would try to leave, would be arrested for breaking a labor contract and be given more hard labor. The obvious injustice of the system created generations of Black Americans who rightfully learned not to trust police and lose faith in the criminal justice system. The U.S. Government continues to execute this injustice through the War on Drugs, redlining and mass incarceration.
Since 1928, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) has dedicated a theme to Black History Month celebration with 2023’s theme being “Black Resistance.” Their theme for this year focuses on the ways Black people have “achieved triumphs, successes and progress” in the United States. ASALH states, “Black resistance strategies have served as a model for every other social movement in the country, thus, the legacy and importance of these actions cannot be understated.” Some of these include the end of chattel slavery, the deconstruction of Jim Crow laws, desegregation of academic institutions, increased political representation in all levels of the government, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the increased and diverse representation of Black experiences in the media.
Black Resistance remembers the systematic oppression that has sought to negate the dreams of Black Americans and the ways in which Black people have achieved success through armed resistance, voluntary emigration, nonviolence, education, literature, sports, media, politics, lobbying, litigation, legislation, and protest. Black History Month calls upon Americans to study the history of Black Americans’ responses to “establish safe spaces, where Black life can be sustained, fortified and respected.”
ASAHL’s website provides informational history for 2023’s Black History Month theme, Black Resistance, in addition to its past themes leading back to 1928. For more information, follow the link: https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/