Since 1976, the United States and Canada have recognized February as Black History Month. The idea to dedicate time to the contributions of African Americans was originated in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson. His vision was to increase the awareness of people and communities to the significant additions African Americans have made to the overall history of the United States.
His vision has grown since 1926 to include an entire month where elementary, junior high and high school students take time to learn about notable figures and accomplishments of African Americans.
Black History Month’s annual celebration has come with its fair share of criticism. From questioning the need to dedicate an entire month to a single race to complaints about the month chosen being the shortest month of the year, the opinions are as varied as they can be outlandish.
Regardless, the idea to educate ourselves about the historical influence countless African Americans have had on our country and communities is with merit. It is a time to dig past the dates and names to attempt to put you in the shoes of race of people who have struggled to gain an equal footing in the United States.
Without Black History Month we may be familiar but not as cognizant of the incredible feats of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglas, or Maya Angelou. The contributions African Americans have made to the fabric of the United States are without question. Throughout the history of the United States which African Americans have inspired you and why? The person you choose can be as recent as Tiger Woods or as old as Frederick Douglas. They person can be real or fictional. Which stories resonate with you? For example, Rosa Parks or Ruby Bridges.
The African Americans that have inspired me the most are Martin Luther King Jr. (I think he inspired everyone though) because he didn't want violence,he wanted everyone to be united. Also Rosa Parks is very inspiring to me because she knew she was at the bus seat first and she should be treated the same as a white person-so she stood up for what she believed in-even though she had to go to jail for it.
ReplyDeleteOh that was Hannah :)
ReplyDeleteCristina- martin Luther king jr. Has inspired many people including me. He was a great leader and speaker. He loved peace and wanted to be untied with everyone. Rosa parks was a very inspiring story, and so was ruby brigades. Two very important people in history. Ruby was a very smart girl and want to go to a white school, she became the only child in the school. I'm very proud of the teacher and her parents for tying to get her to have a great education. Rosa parks is another story, she wanted to sit on the feint of the bus because blacks had tomtit in the back. Good for here to sit in the front! If you are trying to make a statement, that is one way.
ReplyDeleteRyan Z.- The most inspiring African American for me is Juan Williams (the guy who worked for NPR and got fired for stating his opinion and now works for FOX) because he's not afraid to state his opinion and even though I don't like his political views he's a good commentator. The African American story the resonates me the most is Juan Williams story which I mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteLuke- Tiger Woods was probably the most inspirational African American for me until he did what he did last year. and we al know what happen so i wouldn't explain. But as of now i think that Martin Luther King Jr. or Jackie Robinson is the most inspirational. We all know what Martin Luther did and we all know it changed the world. His courageous act was amazing. He changed the world so greatly. Also Jackie Robinson Has in-packed sports so greatly its amazing. Imagine if African Americans didn't play sports America would probably look like idiots cause our sports cant be played without them pretty much
ReplyDeleteAngie- The most inspiring people for me were Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges. I think my favorite one though is Ruby Bridges. It's inspiring how she prayed for all those people who were shouting at her when she went into the "white" school. Even though they threatened to kill and poison her, she still asked God to forgive them. Martin Luther King, of course, fought for freedom for African Americans. And Rosa Parks stood for her rights by sitting in the bus and not giving up her spot. All of these people are great, and there are a lot more! I'm glad they made a Black History Month. It lets everyone learn about the history. I hate it so much when people are racist and prejudice today. But there will always be people in this world who are going to be racist. I think there are a lot of amazing things Affrican Americans have done to the world. And this holiday lets everyone appreciate it.
ReplyDeletePHILLIP- Ruby Bridges is insprirational to me because she was brave and didn't care what other people thought of her. Even though they wanted to kill her. Her story "resonates" with me.
ReplyDeleteDanielle- The African Americans that have inspired me is Martin Luther King and Ruby Bridges. Martin Luther King has inspired me because he was the one that influenced people to stop segregation and a lot of people were inspired. Ruby Bridges has inspired me because she didn't care if people didn't want to go to a white school, she prayed for them and asked God to forgive them. She stood up for her own rights. Rosa Parks is a story that i will remember because she refused to give up her seat for a white person. Ruby Bridges will always stick with me to because she wasn't mean to the people that were mean to her, she forgave them. That just catches peoples eye and says Wow, she is really brave and doesn't care what other people think of her.
ReplyDeleteMorgan- I would first like to say that I think it was a good idea to make a month about African Americans who have made history. If I where to pick someone I would say Ruby Bridges. Ruby Bridges has inspired me because of how brave she was. My favorite story is about when she went to the all white school. It was very brave of her to walk in front of the yelling crowd of people. She did not let it get to her and she kept her head up high.
ReplyDeleteTravis- i have been most inspired by Tiger woods. Just kidding. i idolize him least. I have been most inspired by Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. because while people like Malcolm x wanted to fight violence with violence, he wanted the exact opposite. He somehow found a way to practically end extreme racism with out getting into any brawls(vocab word) or other violent tussles.
ReplyDeleteMarya- i have been most inspired by martin luther king jr. he was so couragous and an amazing person. the story of ruby bridges is one of my favorites. she didnt care what people thought and she went through all those people detesting and threatening her. she even prayed to God and asked him to forgive those mean people. rosa parks is another. she was standing up for what was right by sitting in the front row and not moving for a white person.
ReplyDeletejosu-the person that inspires me most is Jackie Robinson.he was the first black person to play professional baseball. he didnt argue with anyone, he just let his game speak for himself.he has helped be realize that it is not worth it to trash talk the other team or argue with the refs. he was very brave.
ReplyDeleteSofia- THe person that inspires me the most is Ruby Bridges. She was very confident and knew what she stood for. She prayed for her enimies and felt bad for the people that yelled and screamed at her. SHe helped people realize that no matter what you look like you are equal and that you should be nice to the people that don't like you and maybe they wll have a change of heart. She was a very courageous.
ReplyDeleteRyan M- Amare Stoudimire has influenced me because he is my favorite basketball player and my player. HE is one of the most inspirieng player and he is awsome
ReplyDeleteAtticus- Yes African Americans have inspired me because just look at what JFK did and other people like that. I think that JFKs actions really "resonate" with me because it is amazing what one person can do...no matter what their skin color is. I think that he is probably one of the best historical figures in all of mankind because he stood up for what he believed in.
ReplyDeletekaed- I have a lot of African Americans that I really adore and the one that really stands out in my mind is Martin Luther king jr. I know that this world would not be in place if Martin didn't say what he had a say about black and white people coming together and be with eachother and respect eachother. Also the one that comes close behind Martin is Ruby Bridges. the girl who stood up for herself to go to school everyday and be accused because of her race and she still wanted to go to a white American school.
ReplyDeleteHalle- Ruby Bridges was the person that inspired me the most. She prayed for the people that made fun of her and threatened her everyday. She was confident in what she did despite what other people thought of her. She was a brave little girl with lots of confidence
ReplyDeletegabby- rosa parks was the person that inspired me. she stood up for what was right whether or not she would get in trouble for it. that would take a lot of courage. but i also think the people who went on strike and of that stuff. the people that no one has heard inspires me because they did what they did because they wanted it to be right. i think they deserve a pat on the back.
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