Every year Black History Month is celebrated across the country throughout February. For many City College students, this month is an opportunity to remember notable human rights icons like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Although these men are commonly known throughout our country as powerful civil rights leaders, we must also remember to pay respects to the empowered women of the African-American community.
Rosa Parks is universally known for being an influential African-American woman, but there are other noteworthy icons, who aren’t as well known as Parks, like Josephine Baker. Baker was the first African-American woman to star in a major motion picture. And then there’s Mary Jane McLeod Bethune. Bethune started the first school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Fla. and was also an adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on African-American affairs.
In Sacramento, the celebration of Black History Month kicked off early with the Martin Luther King Jr. March on Jan. 18. The six-mile march began at the Oak Park Community Center and made its second stop at City College where, despite rainy weather, many students, staff and faculty marched together to inspire young and old to “be the change they want to see in the world.”
Having moved from a small, conservative town where segregation is still very much in existence, Sacramento is really a breath of fresh air for me. According to an article written in Time magazine, Sacramentans of all races live side by side more successfully than in any other U.S. city. Our campus is a notable reflection of Time magazine’s study because our student body is just as diverse as the city itself.
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Rondu Gantt, Paul Tuggle, Jamal James, Marcus Caldwell and Doni Jones-Lott are all African-American students on campus, but each has his own point of view on the topic of Black History Month. Tuggle, a Georgia native, taught me that Black History is very much a part of the South’s curriculum and is celebrated more passionately than in California. Gantt, a rhetoric major, shared his experiences moving from Harlem, N.Y., to Davis and the adjustments he’s made going from “living in a working class Black world to living in a working class white world.”
All the students who participated in the round table discussion had insightful perspectives of the world and the direction it is headed. After I left the Express offices, I started thinking about what I can do to be the change and what can our college community do? As a student body, we can be the change this world needs by simply educating ourselves about all races. Why stop at just Black and white? Being an informed human being will protect you from succumbing to the ignorance of the world.
As Mary Jane McLeod Bethune said: “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.”
