Black History Month: The Good, the good, and…the good

Black history month (BHM) is a great time to reflect on the trials and triumphs of my ancestors. Of course, one should reflect on their history daily, but there should be a heightened focus during this month. Black people have done so much for America, and black history is American history. The culture, the music, the food, the resilience of our people is outstanding, to say the least. 

Before choosing to only focus on the plights of black history month (slavery, Jim Crow era, Civil Rights Movement) and only recollecting those that are most infamous (Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks), look at how much black people have enhanced so many lives in so many different ways. For example, the first black man to receive a patent was in 1821 (far before the end of slavery) for discovering dry cleaning! As popular as he is for his Christmas album, I’m sure you didn’t know Nat King Cole was the first black network television show host! The heart defibrillator implantation was completed by a black man named Levi Watkins, Jr. in 1980; a lot of people with chronic heart problems need these to stay alive on a daily basis! To name a few more, we have Henry Sampson to thank for inventing cell phones in 1971; and let’s not forget Frederick Jones for creating air condition units.

As you can see, black history is not talked about in a positive light as often as it should be. Our history is so much more influential and important than just the struggles. Black people helped to shape culture and society to what it is today. Take it upon yourself to research some great things that black people did and enlighten others on the wondrous facts you’ll find.

With Love,
Shanyce