Every February, we celebrate Black History Month. In this time period, we honor African American representatives, world leaders, and people who changed our society. Famous leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman are all just a few out of the thousands of people we honor. To commemorate this time of celebration, FHS is hosting a Mini Juneteenth event on Monday, February 18th from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. This event will be full of different cultures, educational material, and lots of fun. See Mrs. DeClark if you have any questions. But now, I will talk about some of the figures and why they are honored.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a black activist whose work was to end racism and segregation in America. From the 1940s to the 1960s, many places such as schools, restaurants, and buses were segregated. King worked to lead peaceful protests against segregation, gathering worldwide media attention. His most famous work was his “I Have A Dream” speech, where he talked about what he wanted to see in America for the future. Unfortunately, he was assassinated on April 4th, 1968. However, his dream was accomplished today, as now we live in a society with less segregation built all on the ideas from Martin Luther King Jr.
Harriet Tubman was an African American abolitionist who worked through the underground railroad in order to free slaves. During the 1800s, when slavery started to slowly end with the Civil War, African Americans, former slaves, and those in the Union worked hard to free slaves. Harriet Tubman was a former slave who was freed, but she also aspired to free all of the slaves in the south. In the end, she freed over 300 slaves, which was monumental as it presented her as a historical figure who worked for the betterment of others.
The last figure we will mention here is Rosa Parks. She became known for not giving up her bus seat during the time of segregation. Back then, buses were split into 2 parts, one for the whites and one for the blacks. Even though Parks sat on the white side of the bus despite being black, she did not give up her seat to a white person. No matter what, she still said no. Parks’s recognition rose because at that time, she showed the world that even though black people were being oppressed, they still had equal and natural rights. Therefore, it would be only true to honor that by defending yourself.
This month, I want you to do some research on other historical figures to see their commitments to society. I also want you to recognize their importance to our history and to stand by in a future where we can all treat each other respectfully. Thank you for reading and have a great rest of your day.