The year is 2024. We thought we’d have flying cars and time travel, but we’ve got iPhones and genocide. In some ways we’ve progressed, in many we’ve regressed. Lately, I find myself questioning what everything means. Most celebrations don’t feel the same including birthdays, Christmas, and Black History Month. In a world that’s not quite what Martin dreamed of, but far better than what my grandma experienced, I find myself wondering if we need Black history month, when we make history every day?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. “

A memorial for George Floyd in Minneapolis, whose death on May 25, 2020, sparked national outrage and protests.

2020 was a shift, as global pandemic killed thousands around the world, life as we knew it was ripped from the seams. With nothing to distract us, the world paid attention to what was really going on, including the racism and violence that Black people face at the hands of police daily. The cauldron ignited by the murders of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Breyona Taylor, and countless others boiled over when George Floyd was executed by officer Derek Chauvin for the world to see.

“Can you feel a brand new day?”

Taking to streets, the tweets, and our feet we demanded the justice that often evades victims like Floyd, when it comes to crimes committed by the police. It was a global conversation, and nations around the globe protested. Nancy Pelosi even took a knee in a moment of silence for the Black community. It was a wild west. Institutions across every industry committed to making the workplace equitable, with DEI initiatives springing up like daisies…but some four years later, it feels like we’ve been hit with an Uno reverse card! The traditionalists are clawing back everything Obama stole, as the threat of another Trump presidency looms, thin is back in, and Black is back out! It’s an undoing, prompting stars like Issa Rae to speak out about Hollywood’s treatment of minority stories, while black leaders are ousted from prominent positions in media, academia, and beyond.

While spinning the block on the ideals of yester-year has me dazed, I’m not dizzy. Once you’ve wrestled with disappointment enough, it can no longer defeat you, and Black people have wrestled with lifetimes of disappointment. But on the road to liberation, a broken promise is merely a speed bump on the path paved with the blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors. Their labor built this country into the super power it is today; creating the infrastructure, technologies, and cultural phenomenons that actually make America great. Simply put, there is nothing more American than Black people.

“Make Black History every day, I don’t need a month.” - Old Kanye

*Know Thyself mural, 1600 McKean Ave, west Baltimore, Md*

While I would never deter anyone from celebrating Black history, I no longer need outside validation to feel proud of my heritage, and secure in my skin. After so many generations of sticks and stones, words can't hurt me. I am my ancestor’s wildest dream, and I have the opportunity to pick up the baton, and run further than they ever dreamed of. Maybe BHM feels less relevant, because there is nothing left to prove, only things to build.

Accept the new.

Much <3,

Dot Com

Make Black History Every Day; Do We Need a Month?