Create Your Own Black History

Dwain Wellington Rattray
Pride Contributing Editor

As we celebrate Black History Month, it is important to remember that while we must know from where we came, it is vital that we know where we are going. If history does not teach, then it is only useless stories told to frighten or placate; if knowledge does not spur action, then it is as if pearls have been thrown to swine. We know that history is replete with men and women who make up the collective Black Biography. Their very real struggles form the foundation of many of our successes. Accomplishments and contributions are rightfully lauded while heroes are made of individuals who were simply doing what must be done to secure a more equitable future for future generations. The error often made is assuming that the job is done – there are instances where many simply give up. There exists some who believe that the status quo will not change. There exists some who believe that the difficult task of effecting change belongs to others. I submit that more progress is not made to create a more equal society because we are not actively creating our own Black history.

When February 1 rolled around and many began celebrations, I was reminded of the American poet Langston Hughes (born February 1, 1902) who wrote in his poem, Freedom’s Plow:

“A long time ago,

An enslaved people heading toward freedom

Made up a song:

Keep Your Hand On The Plow! Hold On!

The plow plowed a new furrow

Across the field of history.

Into that furrow the freedom seed was dropped.

From that seed a tree grew, is growing, will ever grow.

That tree is for everybody,

… for all the world.

May its branches spread and shelter grow

Until all races and all peoples know its shade.

KEEP YOUR HAND ON THE PLOW! HOLD ON!”

It is a stark reminder that we must continue to push for social change until the task at hand is truly complete. No matter how inconvenient, we must be resolute in our personal commitment to become stakeholders in the history of our people. Regardless of seemingly insurmountable difficulties, we must remain strong in a deliberate, constant effort to make our voices and actions become catalysts of change for a better society. We must be our own history makers.

Your action may not seem to be of any importance, but “one one cocoa full basket” [sic]. (One coco at a time fills the basket.) It is a certainty that if we spoke in a single collective voice, the ripple effects would shatter attitudes of inequality and injustice that still remain. One action may spark another, and another, and another…. One action may become a moment that history remembers as pivotal to the struggle so often ignored in today’s assimilated society. Though Rosa Parks (born February 4, 1913) was not the first – or the last – person to resist the establishment regarding bus segregation, she is often celebrated as the “Mother of the modern civil rights movement.” When Parks decided she would defy the status quo with the seemingly simple act of refusing to give up her seat on a public bus, she was propelled into history, and her actions became synonymous with resistance to injustice and bigotry. We need not create what already exists, we can simply continue as we have been taught.

It is human nature to slow down when we are tired or when things don’t seem to be going our way. But in the words of Hall of Fame Major League baseball player Hank Aaron, (born February 5, 1934) “Failure is a part of success.” Aaron, the first man to break Babe Ruth’s homerun record, was the epitome of perseverance – we would be wise to follow his lead. In the midst of the hate directed at this black man for having the audacity to attempt breaking the hallowed record of Babe Ruth, he just kept on playing when he got the chance. “My motto was always to keep swinging,” he said. “Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.” In so doing, Aaron made his own black history.

History teaches that peoples of African descent are resilient. Forged in the fire of adversity, our heritage is one of shining strength. It is not enough however to look in the rear-view mirror and smile at past achievements. There must be more. We must look ahead in an effort to forge new paths of achievement – we must create our own black history.

International Reggae Icon Bob Marley (born February 6, 1945) said, “Life is one big road with a lot of signs. So when you [are] riding through the ruts, don’t complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don’t bury your thoughts; put your vision to reality. Wake up and live!” These words should stand as our song in the quest for continuing the invaluable work started by those we celebrate during Black History Month. If a platform is prepared and no performers appear, the preparation is in vain; if a table is spread and no guests arrive, the cooking was for naught.

Frederick Douglass, the former slave who became a social reformer, orator, statesman and abolitionist, was born and died in this month we hold in such high esteem. The genesis of Black History Month – Negro History Week – was scheduled for February, in part, to coincide with the anniversary of his birth. Of the future, Douglass had this to say: “We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.”

This then is my challenge to you reader: As you celebrate and acknowledge the past and those who have come before, prepare your own contribution and look to the future. Do not accept the status quo, even if it is your own. Make your own indelible mark upon your own circle of influence and the ripple effect will become a part of your legacy. Have the audacity to create your own black history.