Celebrating Black History Month
February is Black History Month.
This month organizations across the Mid-Columbia region and the state are celebrating the contributions of African American’s throughout history.
Pictured: Black Lives matter protestors in downtown The Dalles, OR.
History in the Making, a brief intro
by Cole Goodwin
This past year, black history has continued to unfold on our television screens, tablets, and laptops. Conflicts between Black Liberation Movements (Black Lives Matter), white supremacist organizations, and police have dominated news channels. Portland protestors were taken away in unmarked vans, people were gassed, beaten, some protestors were killed. And in the Mid-Columbia area, the Proud Boys continued to be a consistent source of fear and intimidation for BLM activists and communities of color.
(Concerningly, CCC News recently received tips from various sources about Proud Boy efforts to garner membership and put down roots in communities right here in the Mid-Columbia area, including The Dalles. (If you have information about Proud Boy activity in the Mid-Columbia region please contact us at news@columbiacommunityconnection.com.)
We’ve seen history in the making.
Pictured: Black Lives Matter protestors in downtown The Dalles.
Some of what we’ve seen may have inspired us. Some may have saddened or enraged us, and some of what we’ve seen stands contrary to everything we believe about diversity, equity and inclusion. But no matter how we feel about it- what has occurred in our country over the past year does not stand in stark contrast to America’s history.
When we look at the history of America and the history of Oregon and Washington, we can start to understand that the past year’s successes and conflicts are similar to those seen throughout America’s history. Celebrating Black History Month helps us to not only celebrate black history but to see that the struggle of the black liberation movement still continues to this day.
A Brief History Lesson on Black History Month
From Blacks United in Leadership and Diversity’s (BUILD) February Newsletter:
Black History Month was a half-century in the making. What started out as a weeklong celebration in 1926, as a result of work done by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to encourage the study of Afro-American history, was officially recognized as Black History Month in 1976 by President Gerald Ford. Dr. Woodson chose February because is the birth month of President Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809) and Frederick Douglass (February 14, 1818). Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Douglas was a prominent African American of his day who was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and laureled elder statesman.
The first slaves arrived in colonial America in 1619. It was more than 250 years later when Thomas Mundy Peterson became the first Black American to vote under the provisions of the 15th Amendment, which was ratified in February 1870 and gave African American men the right to vote.
Dr. Woodson, in keeping with his vision, founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) in 1915. ASALH, among other responsibilities, has established the theme for Black History Month celebrations each year since 1926. This year’s theme, “The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity“, celebrates ratification anniversaries of the 15th and 19th amendments.
Ways You Can Celebrate Black History This Month
Pictured: Zachary Stocks, the new Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers, the state's African American Historical Society.
Attend an Event
Attend Mt. Adams Institute FREE Sense of Place Zoom Event “Black Pioneers on the Oregon Trail” on February 17th. Join Zachary Stocks as he shares stories of Black pioneers on the trail and in the Gorge, and find out why there’s still so much of this history yet to be uncovered.
Learn more and Register Here.
Attend BUILD's Black History Month Celebration
BUILD’s Black History Month Celebration will be on Thursday, February 18th, 2021, from 9 am – 12 pm. “We are planning a dynamic agenda of speakers and storytellers who will educate and inspire us as we celebrate!” For more information email BUILD@ofm.wa.gov.
Check out their keynote speaker Angelique Davis here
Attend Washington State Historical’s Society’s “The Impact of Black Pioneers in Washington State” event on February 25th, 2021. Learn more and register here
Attend the Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s 2021 Virtual Black History Month Festival. ASALH will be hosting several virtual events throughout the month of February! Learn more here
Attend a Workshop
Wake Up! is a bi-monthly workshop group that focuses on dismantling white supremacy from the inside out. The Hood River Group is facilitated by Keath Silva and Heath Kowalewski and meets on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays on ZOOM from 6:30-8:30 PM. Email wakeuphoodriver@gmail.com for your link. There is no charge to attend but donations are encouraged to: https://www.holisticresistance.com/grief
Watch a Video
Watch Racing to Change, a short 10-minute video that illuminates the Civil Rights Movement in Oregon in the 1960s and 1970s. Explore the complete “Racing to Change” online exhibit here.
Racing to Change, presented by the Oregon Black Pioneers, illuminates the Civil Rights Movement in Oregon in the 1960s and 1970s, a time of cultural and social upheaval, conflict, and change. The era brought new militant voices into a clash with traditional organizations of power, both Black and White. Engage in the examination of the repression and violence against African Americans that made the Civil Rights Movement necessary. And explore how racist attitudes, policies of exclusion, and the destruction of Black-owned neighborhoods shaped Oregon, as well as the unceasing efforts of the Black community to overcome these obstacles.
For more information, visit http://ohs.org/racingtochange and http://www.oregonblackpioneers.org/
Watch a TED Talk, check out TED’s list of TED Talks to celebrate Black History Month.
Join a Challenge
Join the SmartHealth Black History Month Challenge
Blacks United In Leadership and Diversity partnered with SmartHealth to create activities for Black History Month. Celebrate African American History by learning about the countless ways the Black community has shaped our country and Listen to African American Voices to learn about and reflect on the experiences of Black people in your community while earning SmartHealth points at the same time!
Login or Sign up to your SmartHealth account here
Source. Pictured: #DiscoverOurGlory2021 learning series was started by Rachel Elizabeth Cargle on Instagram.
Join the #DiscoverOurGlory Challenge
Most people today are familiar with the historic work of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X. However, there are many other Black Americans and organizations who have made significant and lasting contributions to our country, as well as Black historical moments and events that have shaped our nation. Research 1 of the following topics a day to #DiscoverOurGlory and share what you learn with your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, etc.
Contributed photo. Know the original source? Send it to us! Read more about notable African-American inventors HERE.
The Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project
Igbo Landing
Compensated Emancipation Act
Black Cowboys
Black Wallstreet
The Chitlin Circuit
Black National Anthem
Birmingham Children’s Crusade
Black Panther Ten Point Plan
National Association of Colored Women
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Combahee River Collective
Black Emergency Culture Coalition
National Coalition of 100 Black Women
Florynce Kennedy
Anna Julia Cooper
Matthew Alexander Henson
Gordon Parks
Katherine Dunham
Betty Davis
Augusta Savage
Black Life on Martha’s Vineyard
Institute for Colored Youth and HBCUs
The Divine Nine
Womanism
Juneteenth
Read and Research
OSU’s Black History Month Book Sale Get 60% off books that explore the different aspects of the Black experience in Oregon. To get the discount, enter the promo code OSU60 at checkout.
Explore Powell’s Bookstore’s list of ever-expanding list of brilliant fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children's books written by Black authors and centering Black life. Click here for list.
Read: More Than Just the Oregon Trail: Oregon’s Untold History Timeline of Oregon’s Racial and Education History a timeline compiled by Elaine Rector of CFEE (Coaching for Educational Equity) and last updated in 2010. READ HERE.
Read: Oregon’s history of black exclusion laws, which banned Black people from living in the state. Learn more
Read: African-American inventors from the 19th century Read more.
Read: 6 Groundbreaking African American Artists to Celebrate This Black History Month
Read: 14 Black Inventors You Probably Didn’t Know About
Read: 10 Powerful Poems for Black History Month
Listen to a Podcast
Eight Podcasts to Deepen Your Knowledge of Black History
A Code Switch! Playlist for Black History Month
Listen to Music
Listen to NPR’s A Musical Black History Month
A Timeline of History-Making Black Music
DCN presents Black History Month in Song
Watch A Movie
MLK/FBI
91 Movies to Watch for Black History Month
28 Films to Watch During Black History Month That Aren’t About Black Trauma
Donate
Check out these 174 ways to donate to support black lives and communities of color.
