Triumph Unmasked: Why We Celebrate Black History

Triumph Unmasked: Why We Celebrate BlackWe celebrate the Revolutionists; Malcolm X, Angela
History?Davis and the Black Panthers, passionately urging
A tribute to our past, present and future. Here's toBlacks to abandon the "wait and see" attitude and
the winner in all of us.by Peggy Butlerrebel against the White Establishment."
The history of a noble race, running roughshod overWe celebrate the contributions of Dr. Charles Drew,
bondage, obstacles and time eternal. Fearless, proudblood plasma founder and Garrett Morgan, creator of
and infinitely hopeful, that is the essence of ourthe automatic traffic lights; whose inventions helped
heritage. In honoring Black America we celebrate therevolutionize the health and transportation industry.
rebirth of the nation's most maligned ethnic group.We celebrate the Nobel Peace Prizes of Ralph J.
We celebrate the present by expounding on ourBunche and Martin Luther King; two amicable men
achievements and reliving great moments from thededicated to world peace.
past. We celebrate our ancestors who toiled in theWe celebrate the athletic prowess of Jesse Owens,
midday sun, under the sweltering heat of oppression.racing across the finish line at the 1936 Olympics;
Exhausted, their hands covered with abrasions fromJackie Robinson, breaking baseball's color barrier. And
the cotton's prickly thorns, they refused to bucklethe wizardry of Michael Jordan, showing the world
under the indignation, creating courage of the highestwhy he was named "the Greatest Athlete of the
magnitude.20th Century." Similarly, we celebrate the brilliance of
We celebrate the legacy of Marcus Garvey, FrederickVenus and Serena Williams, taking tennis to new
Douglass and W.E.B. Dubois, crying out againstheights, and the beauty of Tiger Woods' golf stroke;
injustice. We celebrate the NAACP, National Urbansturdy, on target, an exhibition of immense talent.
League and Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceLastly, we celebrate the diversity of our hair; curly,
in their crusade to remove the insufferable stench ofnatural, permed, straight, waved and weaved and
racism gone awry.the beige, red, brown and blackness of our skin.
We celebrate the strength of Harriet Tubman,That is why we celebrate. To tell our history in our
Sojourner Truth and Ida Wells-Barnett, women ofown words, as only African-Americans can do. In
unrelenting persistence, rebelling against the savageryobserving Black History Month, it is good to focus on
of hate and inhumanity.the actions and accomplishments of dignitaries past
We celebrate the uprisings of Nat Turner andand present. However, attention should also focus on
Denmark Vesey in their ill-fated attempt at freedom.lesser known heroes and heroines. We know that
So strong were these men in their quest forwere it not for Dr. King, opportunities for
freedom, they preferred death to enslavement. WeAfrican-Americans would be virtually impossible.
celebrate the Civil, Political and Equal rights so longSimilarly, without Harriet Tubman, slaves seeking
denied and withheld. We celebrate our triumphs,refuge would not have found solace via the
disasters and heritage.Underground Railroad.
We celebrate the political activism of Jesse Jackson,But what about those pioneers at the local and state
Fannie Lou Hamer and the charismatic Adam Claytonlevel? Those anonymous men and women who
Powell, eloquent strategists demanding the grantingpaved the way, so that future generations could
of voting rights to every adult, young and old.enjoy the amenities entitled to all people? Their
We celebrate the soldiers on the battlefield. From thecontributions should not be confined to musty, photo
rebel retreat of Fort Wagner during the Civil War toalbums and faded newspaper clippings. They too
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unsung heroes fighting andwere instrumental in establishing the democracy of
dying to keep America safe for democracy.our modern history, and deserve to be enshrined in
We celebrate the literary genius of James Baldwin,the scripted walls of the immortals. In retrospect, all
Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks and MayaAfrican-Americans have made impressionable
Angelou, urging America to redeem its pledge ofcontributions big and small, to the dazzling archives
equal rights for all via the written word.that personify Black History.