2021 Black History Month Theme Summary
The past year has been emotionally, physically, and mentally draining for black people- the pandemic, job instability, and the continual disregard for black life at the hands of those sworn to protect us. And our warranted outrage has been met with dismissal, more police brutality, and performative activism by those more concerned with their global perception than our black lives. But, our lives are not hot topics. Our lives are not social media trends. Our lives are not marketing strategies. It became imperative to the committee that we recenter the narrative as it is us that must endure the world in our black bodies.
Our repetitive use of “our” aims to reclaim our blackness in all its intricacies. In a world where proximity to blackness is a metric for coolness, we must possess the gumption to discern those living with and processing the black experience from those non-black using this newly created space to find opportunity for themselves. We must also cultivate the strength to challenge what we know is incorrect and to present our truth- that African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is not synonymous with “internet slang”, that it was in fact a black man, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, who pioneered open-heart surgery, that this country was founded on and continues to fester systemic racism. When we uphold "our" history and "our" culture, we honor our predecessors that fought for us to progress to where we are today. Our ancestors survived so we could thrive. Our theme is the culmination of these ideas and intends to refocus and strengthen "our" path toward equity and justice.
Join the Black History Month Celebration by attending the first event found here:
