Celebrating Black History Month

“We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr. 

“If we want a beloved community, we must stand for justice.”
— bell hooks

The above quotes are favorites of mine and are especially apt in these fraught times as we commemorate Black History month. Throughout February we have the opportunity to pay special attention to the people and events in the history of the African diaspora, including civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. and Black feminist and poet bell hooks. There are innumerable lessons to be learned from Black History that can help us hold on to “infinite hope” and propel us to build a “beloved community,” a vision expressed by Martin Luther King, Jr. for a societybuilt on justice, equal opportunity, and love, where poverty, racism, and violence are eradicated through nonviolent means. That vision has urgent resonance today and should continue to spur us to collective action to achieve it. 

Additionally, important lessons are contained in American literature and nonfiction by a myriad of Black authors. Because I’m a book nerd, I want to highlight two books of several that have had deep staying power for me. I highly recommend them for their profound brilliance and humanity. 

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. This slim book, published in 1963, packed a wallop with Baldwin’s personal examination of the legacy of racism. The Atlantic’s review in my paperback version describes it this way: “So eloquent in its passion and so scorching in its candor that it is bound to unsettle any reader. As a novelist and writer of uncommon talent, James Baldwin plunges to the human heart of the matter.” 

The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson, tells the epic story of the Great Migration of nearly six million Black citizens from the South to northern, midwestern, and western cities between 1915 and 1970. It is vivid, narrative nonfiction and makes history come alive, illuminating the story of Black citizens whose journeys transformed our nation.

May we all read and learn. May we all have a meaningful Black History Month. May we all continue to strive to build our beloved community. 

Cynthia Rubenstein