"Nothing about us, without us."
KEEP UP WITH ARISE!
February marks a time when we specifically honor the history and achievements of Black Americans. After all that 2020 has shown us in the push for black lives to matter, it feels more important than ever to tell the truths of who we are, to push learning and to ask for commitments from our closest allies and supporters to be anti-racist and to elevate our work and our voices.
Our history is American history and there are countless black and brown organizers who have done and continue to do the work in the push for equality. If it were not for the work of folks like Stacey Abrams and LaTasha Brown on the ground in Georgia registering new voters, Georgia wouldn’t be blue. The influence and impact of Black Americans runs through all parts of our society, past and present. We recently honored Dr. King and not the whitewashed version, followed by the swearing in of our first Black woman vice president, Kamala D. Harris. At the inauguration, Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman inspired us with her words, “For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it.”
There is a time to work, there is a time to rest and there is a time to celebrate. We can and should celebrate who we are, honor our ancestors and teach our young people. Let’s all be brave enough to see and be the light, not just during Black History Month, but all year long.
