I always loved Black History Month as a child. I looked forward to the posters and filmstrips that featured people who looked like us. I was mesmerized by the ingenuity and genius of our ancestors, who learned to navigate the dangerous existence that was and still is being Black in America.
I often pondered how. How did they survive the brutal Middle Passage? How did our people survive the cruelty and inhumane conditions of slavery? How did Harriet et al conduct the Underground Railroad? How did Malcolm, Medgar, and Martin have the strength to not just join the fight, but continue it despite the consequences they knew they faced? How did Betty, Myrlie, and Coretta soldier on with such grace while deep in grief, mourning, and anger?
History has shown us people aren’t always aware of the gravity of their situations and/or accomplishments. Many were just doing what they needed to do to survive, unaware of the historical significance of their brilliance, courage, or sacrifice. I suspect it is quite similar to today’s Black history heroes. They’re not doing what they do for fame, glory, clout, or money. They’re doing it because it’s their calling.
I believe if Rev. Al Sharpton were a fifth-grade teacher and not a social justice warrior, he’d still be up early every morning and stay late with the students who need him every afternoon. He’d speak life and success into each and every one of those students because it’s simply who he is and what he was born to do.
Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver was a fifth-grade teacher. She poured into her students the compassion and kindness of her heart. Seeing that she needed to affect more children, she expanded her work into the Leaguers, the East Orange Board of Education, then the NJ State General Assembly, and finally the Governor’s office. It was in her DNA to fight for education, fair housing, and the people of New Jersey in general.
Jennifer Jones Austin came from a family of fighters and philanthropists. The ideas of fairness and equity are ingrained in her psyche and determination courses like blood through her veins. After leadership roles with the City of New York and the United Way, she is bringing the mountain to Muhammad so to speak by leveraging the resources of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies to improve life for all. She once told me, “It is a social responsibility to look out for your neighbor and lift up your brothers and sisters. It becomes part of who you are.”
To think, these are just a few of the incredible people in this month’s issue who are working hard and living their truths, striving for all of us to do more than just survive. And there are plenty more, like the honorees being recognized at TPC’s Great American Emancipation Day Awards Celebration! Whether they one day appear on a poster, in a history book, or a documentary—they are all social justice warriors and a part of Black history. We thank them for their service and sacrifice.
