What are your thoughts on Black History Month?
My thoughts on black history month have been confused, not well informed, and almost understood as mis-identity.
To understand this, we must go back to my roots here in the United States. Black Migrations in the 1970’s and 1980’s brought my family to North America, from the West Indies. This was also a significant event that emphasized the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and, subsequently, to new social realities. While inclusive of earlier centuries… this theme focuses especially on the twentieth century through today.
Born into an immigrant family, there was a significant emphasis of creating equity ANYWAY possible. This was often through learning English without accents, re-naming children to “Proper” English names, education/trade, and consistent determination to your end goal. Again, the goal was equity with white Americans. Black History in the 20th Century was meant for our people to push forward, not only to supplement history, but to show the resiliency of the black diaspora. Cumulatively, the Caribbean diaspora in the United States is comprised of over 8 million individuals (about half the population of New York) who have identity, but when the color of our skin dictates our cultural assignment, I have found myself studying American Black history most of my life, understanding where we have started and navigating where we need to go from here.
Although we are now more than 50 years beyond the civil rights movement, change has been excruciatingly slow. The treatment and inclusion of black participation in American culture, is still on full display, portrayed by media generalizations, racism, and a lack of awareness. Our black history is being written daily and we will move forward as such. My responsibility and how I hope to impact this, is to educate the people that I am surrounded by about who we are and offer significant contributions building forward. I am proud of my identity, our culture, and our people.
Deckers Careers 