Honorable Mentions as Black History Month Comes to a Close...
"Black history is American History, 365 days a year...."
-Unknown
Someone once told me that black history month ends after Valentine's day. It was meant as a joke, a feeble one, reaffirming why this country continues devaluing us as a people. However, our narrative is beyond one month; our black history is rich, complex, tragic, colorful, accomplished, beautiful, accidental, breathtaking, intentional, and authentic.
Our black history has birthed giants such as Fredrick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, W.E.B DuBois, Alvin Ailey, Robert Abbott, James Baldwin, Jackie Robinson, Sojourner Truth, Booker T. Washington, and so many other giants whose shoulders we stand on.
I wanted to close out black history month by illuminating the giants in black history that we either don't know of or have heard little about but deserve all the accolades...
Marsha P. Johnson: She was one of the most eminent figures of the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. Always sporting a smile, Johnson was an influential advocate for homeless LGBTQ+ youth, those affected by H.I.V. and AIDS, and gay and transgender rights.
David Price: He first conceptualized the idea for The Safety Pouch at age 16 after having "The Talk," a conversation on handling police interactions during traffic stops with his parents. David knew he needed to create a product to facilitate safer traffic stops for drivers and police officers. In 2020 he launched the Safety Pouch, a bestseller at Walmart/Amazon.
Mama Cax: was a Haitian-American Brooklyn-born advocate for people with disabilities (amputees in particular) and a rising model who challenged the fashion industry's standard of beauty by not shying away from displaying her prosthetic leg on the runway and in fashion campaigns.
Beverly Bond: A Philanthropist, DJ, television producer, and entrepreneur, in 2006, she founded BLACK GIRLS ROCK! a youth empowerment and mentoring organization established to promote the arts for black and brown young women, as well as to encourage dialogue and analysis of the ways women of color are seen in the media.
Iron Metropolis Films: The brainchild of Tylon Usavior Washington, Iron Metropolis Films is an independent film company based in New York City inspired by the late legendary actor, filmmaker, playwright, novelist, and composer Melvin Van Peebles. Iron Metropolis Films is committed to creating compelling, powerful, and thought-provoking movies with high entertainment value.
https://ironmetropolis.com/
HANA: The Haitian American Nurses Association: Conceptualized and created as an answer to the much-needed aid to the devastation of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, HANA's goal is to cultivate a platform to empower nurses of Haitian descent worldwide and advance the profession of nursing by promoting health and wellbeing for all through education, research, advocacy, and leadership.
Black History, Our History.....
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