The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/55928
February 17, 2012 Topics 8 "Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." -Martin Luther King Jr. Black History Month Xaranya Sekscenski Staff Writer B lack History Month, or National African American History Month, is a yearly celebration of achievements by African Americans. It is a time set out for recognizing the important role of African Americans in U.S. history. Ever since 1976, every U.S. President has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, do the same and devote a month to celebrating Black history. The story of Black history month begins in 1915 when the thirteenth amendment for abolished slavery in the U.S. In the decades that followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing annual proclamations recognizing Negro History Week. The civil rights movement and a growing awareness of African American Identity, is what established the week and later turned into a month. Black History month is known around the world, but only practiced in the United States. Celebrities such as Whoopi Goldberg, Will Smith, LL Cool J, and Alicia Keys celebrate. Black History Month has come a long way and celebrates the achieved long term goals for the African-American Community. RESPONISBLE MAKING HISTORY spy during the American Civil War. She escaped slavery and rescued more than 70 slaves using safe houses and antislav- ery activists known as the underground railroad. Tubman traveled at night slowly with one group at a time. She never lost a passenger on the underground railroad. H arriet Tubman was an African- American abolitionist and union S ojourner Truth was born slavery and suffered from a into very O prah Winfrey became the first Afri- can American billionare in 2003. Af- ter overcoming great childhood hardship and going on to co-author five books, pub- lish two magazines and star in her own TV show for twenty-six years, she is arguably the most influential woman in the world. harsh life. She was beaten often, bought and sold several times, and didn't even speak about one family where, it is pre- sumed, that the unthinkable happened to her. What she did find in slavery was faith. She was a devout Christian. She also fell in love with another slave and had a baby. She escaped slavery with her baby, but later her baby was taken from her. Truth was the first black woman to ever win a case against a white man. She went to court to recover her son and won. B arack Obama was elected as the first African American president of the United States on November 4, 2008. He was inaugurated as the 44th president. on January 20, 2009. Before he was president, he was the state senator of Illinois, but he resigned once President. In his early days, Obama worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law. In 2009 Obama was named the 2009 No- bel Peace Prize laureate. During his cur- rent presidency he ended the war in Iraq and signed the order to kill the world renowned terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. ackie Robinson was the first African Amer- ican major league baseball player. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was elected to the baseball hall of fame. He paved the way for many future African American athlete J tes. R osa Parks was an African American Civil Rights activist. She was referred as "the first lady of civil rights" by the US Congress. Rosa made history because she disobeyed a bus driver by not giving up her seat for a white passenger. Other Af- rican Americans refused to obey the or- der to give up oneself but Parks started "civil disobedience". This disobedience ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott. What does Black History Month mean to you, and what is it like being among the few African Americans at Red Bluff High? "Black History Month is a time to reflect on how far my ancestors have come. I am proud of my ancestors; I don't think of it as an individual pride thing. To celebrate Black History Month, my church decorates in mem- ory of famous African Americans. "I'm proud of my race, but I don't do much to celebrate Black His- tory Month. Being one of the few Afican Americans at at Red Bluff High is sometimes challenging due to racial slurs and stupid questions people ask. It just gets annoying." "Black History Month is a month dedicated to celebrating my cul- ture. People make jokes about my race, but mostly I make jokes about myself. At some points it gets an- noying though, like 'Okay, we get it she's black." When people look at me, I feel like the first thing they no- tice is my race, and they don't realize that I'm just as white as I am black." -Alana Hinkston -Andrew Stites -Hannah Woodall "I don't celebrate Black History Month, and I don't really notice any different treatment here. Yeah, there are jokes sometimes, but I don't take them offensively. Being a minority isn't a big deal to me because I used to go to an all black school, and since I'm half white, I was a minority there too." -De el Demell Williams