THE CAUSE: Celebrating Black History and pursuing inclusive freedom by promoting social justice for all, building on the principles of the Underground Railroad via The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
THE CHALLENGE: For every 47 miles of activity tracked between 2/1/2023 and 2/28/23, we will donate $10 to The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. This challenge ends at 11:59 PM EST on 2/28/23. Submissions will be accepted until 3/2/2023 at 11:59 PM EST.
THE WHY: Black History Month begins today! From the moment Africans arrived on the shores of what would become the United States, Black people have been tirelessly fighting against oppression. Recently, our executive director was leading a discussion with adolescents and a question that came up was whether or not it is okay to break the rules some of the time. A point one teen made was that Rosa Parks broke the rules of her time which was one of many catalyzing acts of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. Quite a valid point to be made.
The theme for Black History Month this year is “Black Resistance.” Black History Month began receiving official recognition 47 years ago in 1976. Obviously, this is not when Black history began. This month, we will be highlighting Black Americans who embody Black resistance that you may be less familiar with from the 1700s through today (which is also not the complete timespan of the contributions of Black people to the world). These are the game changers, the challenge takers–people who pushed against the status quo, called out hypocrisy, and set change in motion, both in the past and the present in the United States. Interestingly, only 5 countries in the world have an official Black History Month–the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Holland.
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (the founders of Black History Month) said it best, “By resisting, Black people have achieved triumphs, successes, and progress as seen in the end of chattel slavery, dismantling of Jim and Jane Crow segregation in the South, increased political representation at all levels of government, desegregation of educational institutions, the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in DC and increased and diverse representation of Black experiences in media. Black resistance strategies have served as a model for every other social movement in the country, thus, the legacy and importance of these actions cannot be understated.”
“2023 Black History Theme Executive Summary: Black Resistance.” Nov 2022. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History. https://asalh.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2023-Black-History-Theme-Executive-Summary.pdf
“African American History: People.” 2023. Blackpast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/
“Africans in America: Elizabeth Freeman”. 2023. Public Broadcasting Service. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p39.html
“The Faithful Groomsmen.” 11 Oct 2020. The Jalen Law Collection. https://thejalenlawcollection.com/journal/the-faithful-groomsmen
“Robert Sengstacke Abbott.” 2022. The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. https://chicagoliteraryhof.org/inductees/profile/robert-sengstacke-abbott