Dear Editor,

So a friend of mine and I just had a discussion relating to Black History Month. She asked me if I embraced it and I told her no. She was surprised and asked how could I be a black person and not embrace this month of February which is known here as Black History Month. This is what I told her:

My history as a black woman transcends way beyond the one month of every year that was given to me by people out of guilt. Long before there was white America my people were building pyramids, my people were kings and queens, my people were King Hannibal, Cleopatra, Toussaint L’Overture, Shaka Zulu, Taharqa, king of the kingdom of kush in Northern Sudan, Ras Mengesha Yohannes. How many blacks talking about Black History Month even know about these people?

My history is more than just slavery, we were building empires long before we were thought of as niggers. My history was not taught to me in school, because the only thing they wanted me to know while I was in school was that my ancestors were only good for one thing, working for the white man, and so the history of slavery was beaten into my brain so that I would always see myself as less than.

But thanks to my mother who gave me the love of books, and the thirst to seek out and find the answer to who I am, and in finding that answer I know that one month does not tell the story of my history. My history paved the way for the people who thought that giving the black man one month, and the shortest month at that, was enough to justify who he is.

Today, I say, don’t wait for February (Black History Month) to celebrate your blackness, your blackness is one of pride and dignity, hold your head high, and strive to be the best you can be.

Michelle Bradshaw

michelleannmariebradshaw@gmail.com