Black History Month: Collective Work and Responsibility
Dear Members of the College of Fine Arts:
Welcome back!
It is with great appreciation that I thank you for taking the necessary precaution to flex your working, teaching and learning styles to ensure a safer community for us all. It is for this communal act of social responsibility that I email you today.
In just a few days, the country will recognize Black History Month. The very creation of this month epitomizes the power of an individual and the collective. As we transition back to campus, I hope each of you understand how special you are, how invaluable you are to our community and the incredible power we wield as a collective when we work together. It truly takes one person to make societal change, this was proven with Dr. King but we also know this to be true because of Carter G. Woodson, the man responsible for recognizing Black History.
Historian Carter G. Woodson believed reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African Americans’ contributions to the United States was actualized in the founding of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization that later conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925 – a week that included the birthdays of both President Abraham Lincoln and Abolitionist Frederick Douglass. The celebration was expanded to “Black History Month” in 1976, the nation's bicentennial, by President Gerald R. Ford.
During his announcement, President Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” That directive was necessary then and now. Only now, we must not simply look to American history, but to the present day.
Black history is American history, yet it is usually discussed only in the month of February and is usually done through a slave or activist narrative. There is so much more to the Black experience, history and culture than trauma. This is not to negate their violent past, but to remind us to honor and celebrate their triumphs, victories and contributions, as well.
The College of Fine Arts honors Black History Month by accepting accountability for our positioning of Black and African American history, culture and narratives within our community. We must do better, and we will. Throughout the fall semester 2021, I offered an “Accountability and Allyship” series – five workshops with the intention to foster self-progression, intentional allyship and social responsibility. This work continues this spring, beginning with Black History Month.
This year’s CFA theme for Black History Month is “Ujima,” Swahili for collective work and responsibility. It is the third principle of Kwanzaa and asserts that a community can only be built and maintained together. Our programming (found at the end of this email) will highlight the contributions of the pan-African diaspora, Black and African Americans to United States history and culture, as well as offer opportunities to discuss how we will move forward together with accountability and intentional allyship. I hope you will join us.
In community,
Valeria J. Martinez, M.S.E.
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
College of Fine Arts
