Donate to BOP: Support Black History in the Making 365 Days a’ Year
Over the course of Black History Month, BOP members have been reflecting on the tremendous legacy of our people and our obligation to continue to build on that legacy. We’ve reflected on our ancestors who were uprooted from their home land, unable to imagine the kind of horror that lied ahead.
Families were torn apart as enslaved Africans were forced onto slave ships where they would be stripped of their clothes, embarrassingly examined, & thrown below deck to suffer in chains for weeks and months on end. Many of our ancestors would never live to see their final destination because this brutal & traumatic process was too much to bare and punishment for “bad behavior” was met with violent abuse or punishment by death.
But those who found a way to make it across the dark waters faced incredible challenges when they reached land. Yet with faith, they maintained a sense of dignity and within themselves found the strength to fight & survive. As much as they could, our ancestors stuck together. They educated themselves & were the bearers of children who would one day lead revolts of the enslaved. They laid a foundation upon which generations of Black people would continue to fight for freedom!
Today, we stand on the backs of Gabriel Prosser & Denmark Vessey, Frederick Douglas & Harriet Tubman, Dred Scott & Hiram Revels, Soujourner Truth, W.E.B. Dubois, Marcus Garvey, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Emmett Till, Rosa Parks, and many more.
All of them realized their obligation to fight for the freedoms we so deserve and to lay the ground work for the future. Now, we must ask ourselves, what is our obligation to fight for freedom? What do we owe to the generations before us and to those that will come after? Will the legacy we create today, be one to speak of and learn from in years to come? Our obligation to create & remember Black history is not one that can be contained to 28 days. It’s one that we must work at & fight for each & every day. 365 days a year, we are making Black history.
Throughout the month of February, we’ve been campaigning in hopes of getting 30 new $10 monthly sustainers. If we truly want change for our community, we must invest in that change. Just as all of the Black freedom fighters before us went ahead to claim freedom for our people, we have to build on that. I’m calling on you to make a commitment to empowering a new generation of Black leaders TODAY by becoming a monthly sustainer!
Watch the video below to get a recap of our Black History Month Food 4 Thought and to hear from members on why they support BOP!
[vimeo id=”87707777″ width=”600″ height=”350″]
Authored By: Misha Cornelius, Communications & Operations Coordinator, BOP