February: the shortest month of the year but a really important one
posted on: Friday, February 19, 2010
February is black history month. It’s a time for us to remember the milestones and myriad positive steps we’ve taken as a country to be more inclusive of our black brothers and sisters. And it’s also a time to reflect on all the work that lies ahead because of persistent disparities and a seemingly universal assumption that we live in a post-racial society because we elected an African American man as our president. The NAACP has developed some fantastic multimedia tools for us to do just that.
1. Check out the Milestones page where you can learn about important dates in the history of our black brothers and sisters. You might be surprised to find out about the 1931 case of the Scottsboro Boys and their unfair treatment in the Emmett Till case. Have we gotten past that kind of racism? I don’t think so – remember the Jena Six case? Yes, they got a second chance and it was great that we came together to confront racial disparities in our justice system. When ordinary citizens are active like they were in the civil rights movement, we can make a difference. But we’ve clearly got work to do – and lots of it to ensure justice and parity in our criminal justice system (The Sentencing Project is a great resource for this if you’re interested.)
2. And then there’s the People – sure, we’ve all heard of the great Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. and other big names from the Movement. But who’s Linda Brown? Yeah, we’ve heard of Brown v. the Board of Education but check out the story of this brave third grader from Topeka. I think we can all learn something from her and her family’s story as we continue working towards a having real access to equal education.
3. There’s also the Pictures section – a great collection marking the NAACP’s 100th’s anniversary. A picture can speak a thousand words, right? I think there’s about a million in here!
Black history month is an opportunity for us to celebrate the milestones and victories and to look critically at where we stand currently so we can keep moving toward a society in which race and ethnicity really don’t determine how our life pans out. Kudos to the NAACP on 100 years of great work and for this fantastic resource.
Niki Jagpal is the research and policy director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.Labels: Black History Month, Brown v. Board of Education, Civil Rights Movement, criminal justice system, equal opportunity, ethnicity, NAACP, race, Sentencing Project, social inclusion
1. Check out the Milestones page where you can learn about important dates in the history of our black brothers and sisters. You might be surprised to find out about the 1931 case of the Scottsboro Boys and their unfair treatment in the Emmett Till case. Have we gotten past that kind of racism? I don’t think so – remember the Jena Six case? Yes, they got a second chance and it was great that we came together to confront racial disparities in our justice system. When ordinary citizens are active like they were in the civil rights movement, we can make a difference. But we’ve clearly got work to do – and lots of it to ensure justice and parity in our criminal justice system (The Sentencing Project is a great resource for this if you’re interested.)
2. And then there’s the People – sure, we’ve all heard of the great Dr. Marin Luther King Jr. and other big names from the Movement. But who’s Linda Brown? Yeah, we’ve heard of Brown v. the Board of Education but check out the story of this brave third grader from Topeka. I think we can all learn something from her and her family’s story as we continue working towards a having real access to equal education.
3. There’s also the Pictures section – a great collection marking the NAACP’s 100th’s anniversary. A picture can speak a thousand words, right? I think there’s about a million in here!
Black history month is an opportunity for us to celebrate the milestones and victories and to look critically at where we stand currently so we can keep moving toward a society in which race and ethnicity really don’t determine how our life pans out. Kudos to the NAACP on 100 years of great work and for this fantastic resource.
Niki Jagpal is the research and policy director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.
Labels: Black History Month, Brown v. Board of Education, Civil Rights Movement, criminal justice system, equal opportunity, ethnicity, NAACP, race, Sentencing Project, social inclusion
posted by Niki Jagpal at
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