Katura J. Hudson

I spent every day of Black History Month   doing something to celebrate us. Some days it was as simple as rocking a top from a Black business and reading a short blog. Other days it was back to back events and documentary deep dives. This was a priority, sometimes a challenge, and to be honest, not enough. I was looking forward to the joy. But in this climate it felt more like an act of resistance — against all the noise, negativity, anti-Blackness that’s taken the form of legislative actions, corporate rollbacks, social media posts and much more.   I know it doesn’t have to be either/or. Celebration can be resistance. And even if it takes a bit more effort to reclaim the joy in it, it’s important to heed the call to action I heard on Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s webinar this week. “Use every platform you have to tell the truth about who we are.” - Kaye Wise Whitehead 

 Yes, February is Black History Month in the US. However simply *learning* about Black people’s contributions wasn’t the original intent of the observance. Founder Carter G. Woodson advocated for year-round study of Black history. He wanted Negro History Week (precursor to BHM) to be a celebration of all we had learned throughout the year!  I think of Black History Month as less of cram session, more of a graduation.  A few things I learned this past year: Freedom House, a Black ambulance service founded in Pittsburgh inspired today’s EMS system  https://lnkd.in/dJMSy8gt Every year BHM has a theme. This year it’s Black health and wellness. Last year it was the Black family. I’ve been celebrating for decades and had NO idea!  Entrepreneur Maggie Lena Walker, best known for being the first woman to own a US bank, was also a PR pro. She published a newsletter, pitched other media outlets to get coverage for an org dedicated to Black financial advancement, and used ...