As we stand on the threshold of Black History Month 2024, we are confronted with a sobering realization: the chapters of history we teach and commemorate are no longer just relics of the past. They are unfolding before our eyes, in the here and now.
As a 5th grade US History teacher, and more importantly, as a young Black woman in America, I am compelled to raise a clarion call. The struggles, the injustices, the fights of our ancestors are not just stories; they have become our reality, our fight, our urgent responsibility.
The desecration of Jackie Robinson’s statue in Kansas is not a standalone act of vandalism; it is a vivid, painful manifestation of the racism that continues to plague our society. Robinson was more than a baseball legend; he was a beacon of hope and progress. His legacy, now tarnished in a public park, mirrors the broader societal corrosion we are witnessing – a regression into overt racism across our society and the embracing of historic negative and harmful stereotypes.
In Texas, the trial of student Darryl George over his dreadlocks is not just a legal battle; it’s a direct assault on our identity and freedom. This isn’t merely about hairstyle preferences; it’s about systemic oppression, about a society attempting to dictate and control Black bodies, reminiscent of the darkest periods of our history.
#LivingHistory #BlackHistoryMonth2024 #OurStoryToday #TeachingTruth #AncestorsLegacy #UnfoldedStruggles #InjusticeNow #OurFight #UrgentResponsibility #HistoryInTheMaking #EyesWideOpen #BlackVoicesMatter