As another month of Black History wraps up, I can’t help but reflect on the numerous contributions PSR PA shared of Black men and women who have worked to make the world a healthier place for all. We learned about so many that have contributed to our work that we did not have enough days to cover them all. Somehow, we expect to honor all the contributions of Black people in the United States in four short weeks. It is like trying to summarize the history of a country in a 280-character tweet. This is not how Black History should be celebrated.
While many will spend the month of February reflecting on the contributions and history of Blacks in the United States, I believe in celebrating Black history every day and it is a wondrous amalgamation of good, great, and just plain sad - much like the reality of life and our society in general. We continue to exacerbate the issue by segmenting our history and population into buckets of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, political and religious affiliations, and all the other titles perpetuating exclusivity instead of inclusivity.
As a country we must change how we treat each other. Token gestures like Black History Month, Hispanic American Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Pride Month, and the multitude of other 30-day celebrations do nothing to change the lives of marginalized communities or truly address systemic discrimination. Until we decide to have hard conversations, equalize representation at every table and celebrate all our communities ALL YEAR LONG we have failed.
We hope the snapshot we shared of Black contributions to the fabric of history shows you that Black people are a significant force within our society, to be respected and always celebrated.
Tonyehn Verkitus
Read more about Black environmentalists that we have highlighted on our social media accounts.
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