My Black History Month 2015

Black History Month gets mixed responses from the people. Some love it and the festivities and education that comes along with it. Others find it to be a hindrance to reaching equality in America. My experience of BHM this year may explain the truth of what has happened to this holiday.

On Facebook, I wrote a post asking black people to share their thoughts on what Black History Month means today.

I got 3 likes. Is that an answer within itself?

Yesterday night I spent my evening in Harlem at the Presbyterian Church with Black Youth Project 100 at their forum. It was titled " #BlacklivesMatter to Black Liberation". So it was pretty disappointing that there was not many black people, discussion on black issues and black empowerment.

It's tiring seeing the movement have a predominantly white space. It's even more tiring when those same white people don't respect that the black struggle needs to be the center of this movement. Although there was the whole putting white people in their place thing, the event was still inspiring.

Basically people said the movement needs to continue; we need to hit the streets. We need more black leadership in the movement. We need to educate. We need to hit society in it's pockets. It was inspiring hearing how people have been moved by Ferguson and angered by the multiple trans murders that have happened within the first two months of 2015. The revolution is ongoing and people still believe that we are radicalizing society.

In saying this, I think Black History Month means nothing today. The road to equality did not arrive in 1964, so to celebrate the happenings centered there with only slavery dating to prior history is not updated. BHM does not build unity and most school students come back home questioning their friendships with the other races. Black history is now and everyday. Revolutionaries are making strides to the road to freedom everyday and to focalize blackness in just February is just plain inadequate to the work being done year round.

I would really like to know what others feel on the relevance on Black History Month. Please tell me! I'd like to know if black people value this holiday, because I know they value black people; we see that everyday now, not just on MLK day and the shortest month of the year.