Happy Black History Month Funky Junkies! Black History Month is a wonderful time to honor and celebrate African-American contributions to the world — both in the past and those making history today. There is so much to say about this beautiful month of ours and how we can use these 28 days to embrace our culture and celebrate each other! This is also a great time to look back and salute the Black organizations and institutions that have impacted our community throughout history.
We salute the organizations that paved the way!
There are many organizations such as The National Council of Negro Women, The National Association of Colored People, The United College Negro Fund (and many more!) that have a long-lasting influence on the Black community. These organizations have each served different roles at different stages of our lives. The NAACP and the NCNW organized marches in the 60s, enabling us the right to vote, and paving the way for us to be considering our first Black-female Supreme Court Justice within the next few months. We should never lose sight of these institutions’ historical impact on our communities.
There are also organizations out there like Black sororities and fraternities as well as social organizations, such as my own beloved Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Phi Alpha, Jack and Jill of America, and The Links to name a few, who were established well before the civil rights movement began to empower people of color to create avenues for themselves during a period of time when white America wouldn’t allow us to join the equivalent organizations. It was these African-American sororities, fraternities, and social organizations that provided feet on the street during the civil rights movement. It’s these organizations that still exist today to continue to provide an avenue for us and our children to connect with peers that look like them. We see you and salute you!
We are always making history!
Today, organizations that celebrate us and uplift our children are so important. Especially in times like these, where people think that we no longer need affirmative action or they believe that color is no longer an issue in our country. Here is the unfortunate reality: African-Americans are still being “accidentally” gunned down in the street by police officers who swore to serve and protect. We know there is implicit bias that exists today in all of us. The first step is to recognize that as a country and train those in public service industries to recognize this. I applaud the new organizations like The Black Lives Matter Movement, The Fair Fight Movement, and The Higher Heights Movement being formed in response to the challenges that people of color continue to face in the community.
One thing we can do during Black History Month as a community of color and those who support and honor communities of color is to support these organizations. We can sometimes forget these groups are non-profits and survive off of our philanthropic contributions. Find the organization that you are passionate about that focuses on our community and commit to supporting that organization and getting involved. Give your time, your talents and your treasures so that the organizations that support our causes can continue to strive. Serve on a committee, participate in a fun run, donate what you can..whatever it is…now is the time to support!
Our sister company Uncle Funky’s Tees has a shirt that I love, which pays homage to some of our most recent heroes like Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama, and many others. I love this shirt because the tagline says, “always making history,” which signifies the impact we’ve made in the past, the present, and what we will continue to make in the future. Even today, we have women like Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett who was the lead scientist on the team at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which developed the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. There are so many Black people that continue to make a difference out there and you can be one of them!
As a country, we celebrate Black History for 28 days in February. As a person of African descent, I live and celebrate my Blackness EVERY DAY. I can’t choose when to stop being Black. So, every day I walk this earth, I am a walking celebration of my being.
Go ahead Funky Junky….Celebrate yourself today, tomorrow, and forever!
xoxo
Renee Morris (@lifebyrenee)
