As African American History Month winds down, we wanted to share another photo of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade last month. The woman in the photo above marched the entire length of the parade down Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive with Dr. King's image held high. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has been a national holiday since 1986.
African American History Month is one of America's efforts to pay tribute to "the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society" (Library of Congress, here). This month, one of the most thought provoking tributes we've seen to the contributions of African American citizens was found on the door of a middle school classroom. All of the students selected and wrote a heartfelt thank you note to a different African American. May we all make an effort to respect the inherent worth and dignity of everyone, regardless of where we live. May we express these efforts through actions, words, and writing. Whom would you thank?
As a middle schooler I would probably have chosen someone like Oprah. Now I would thank George Washington Carver for his innovations in agriculture and for his humanitarian and educational endeavors which proved that the black brain in not inferior.
Posted by: Jane Mitchell | Tuesday, February 22, 2011 at 10:43 AM