In recognition of February’s designation as Black History Month, we wanted to provide a little bit of background on how it came to be and to feature an article about environmental racism written by an outstanding leader in our community, Ashley LaRussa. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. Learn more about the history of this important month here.
In celebration, Xavier Ramey’s article, Black People are Demanding the Same Thing Christ Did: Say I Matter When it Matters and our podcast with Xavier, Justice Informed: Creating Human-centered Paradigms are two Mrs. Green’s World works that we are highlighting this month. Of note is an opportunity to reflect on how things have evolved since the 2019 recording of the podcast with Xavier, and how they have yet to change.