Acknowledgments in life are greater than a holiday after death.
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Every year, on February 1st, most people begin opening their proverbial time capsules to pull out the stories of yesterday in an effort to remind the population of the fight, sacrifices and achievements of African-Americans throughout history.
This annual behavior usually includes organizing panel discussions, airing documentaries of prominent black leaders of the past, curating afro-centric museum exhibits and promoting Martin Luther King, Jr., themed essay and speech contests.
Many people believe the aforementioned activities associated with Black History month should be a year-round experience. And while I agree, I have to acknowledge that something is missing from the rotation: celebrating Black History in the making, which means highlighting African-Americans who in the present-day are engaging in newsworthy and historic activities.
For example, in 2013, Mr. Gabriel Bryant, a Philadelphia activist, was summoned by the French Delegation to help build a progressive, global coalition in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former President of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalist who was convicted of murdering a Philadelphia police officer in 1981.
In addition his brave work in the streets, Mr. Bryant dabbles in the media, by hosting a show on G-town radio, which just announced it has received a highly-coveted, low-power FM license.
Another example can be found in Mr. Juwan Bennett, a 21 year-old McNair scholar and Ph.D candidate living in Philadelphia who in 2013 won several prestigious awards from Temple University – his alma mater and now employer.
Mr. Bennett, a classically trained musician, has played in front of President Barack Obama; traveled to Yale University to study with renowned scholar, Dr. Elijah Anderson, and gave the keynote speech at the 2014 Boy’s Power Lunch, organized by Choice Mentoring and hosed by Drexel University.
Though she’s already made Black History, Ms. Trudy Hanes, a broadcast journalist who in the mid-60’s broke the color barrier in Philadelphia by becoming the first African-American to report the news on television, has kept busy by hosting a public affairs show taped in Center City Philadelphia at PhillyCam.
She’s also consulting network executives on the revitalization of channel 7, which first appeared in 1991 as W07CB, the first Philadelphia-licensed VHF television station since May 1948, according to Wikipedia. And for lovers of all things tech, Ms. Haynes, who’s in her early 80’s, took her first-ever selfie during an interview with Techbook Online.
Ms. Haynes said something to me that inspired the thought-outline of this article. When she broke the color barrier more than fifty years ago, she didn’t understand the magnitude of her narrative, because it all just felt like work.
I’ve heard that line from other personalities and public figures. In fact, the one thing that all the people I’ve interviewed who are making Black History today have in common is this: they’re usually unaware of how significant and special their actions are, because to them it’s all about accomplishing a mission, and it doesn’t seem like there’s much time to lift up their heads and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
So, it’s my job as the spectator, ally, friend, neighbor and storyteller to celebrate Black History in the making, while honoring the past and preparing the emerging black leaders for the future. If for no other reason, I celebrate Black History in the making because acknowledgments in life are greater than a holiday after death.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™