It is February again and vast numbers of us get enthused because it is designated as Black History Month. The tragedy is that too many of us are overwhelmed with the month being set aside when we should recognize our history and accomplishments year round. In 28 days we focus on a limited number of Black heroes and heroines, but the truth of the matter is that there are unbelievable numbers of Black men and women, local and nationwide, who qualify as heroes and heroines.
A great number of us wore blinders for years and we believed that bigotry and discrimination only took place Down South. Yes, we felt so sorry for Blacks who were subjected to atrocities and even death. Those Down South had all Black schools with Black teachers, they were denied the right to vote, eat in restaurants, denied access to the zoo and public parks, could not attend White colleges, denied job opportunities, access to public accommodations and public facilities were designated White and colored. The Ku Klux Klan would terrorize and kill you and overwhelmingly Blacks were denied any constitutional rights by the police or judicial system. We would read and, in later years, watch on television and see how our brothers and sisters were being mistreated. We would shake our heads and question how could colored folks allow themselves to be mistreated in such a manner and not do anything about it. However there came a period of time that we took off our blinders and began to observe our conditions her Up South.
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