If there’s one thing racial justice activists want you to know about black history, it’s that black history is far from over.
We're all encouraged to recognize the struggles and strides of the black community through the celebration of Black History Month. Yet, too often, that celebration starts and stops with the Civil Rights Movement, a few notable names and not much nuance.
But racial justice activists are pushing against the idea that black history isn’t currently in the making, referencing the powerful movements happening in our current society -- like Black Lives Matter activism -- as powerful proof.
Racial justice movements have gained increased attention over the past few years, leading many to argue that movements like Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement are "fruit from the same tree." With black activism and racial justice inspiring change on such a massive scale, Black History Month has taken on a new meaning for many activists and advocates.
We asked seven black activists how they’ve seen the meaning of Black History Month evolve, especially since the inception of movements like Black Lives Matter. Here’s what they had to say about what Black History Month means to them in 2016.
Brittany Packnett, Campaign Zero organizer, member of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing and executive director of Teach for America
"Black history is finally more than reliving a traumatic past -- though memory is important. Current racial justice movements have forced us to care about the black present and black future just as much as we care about the black past. From culture to policy, those in and supporting the movement are helping to ensure that black history is relevant daily, and pushing us toward a more free future.
"When it comes to black future, let Beyoncé -- and me -- tell you: 'We gon' slay.' No doubt about it.”
Raquel Willis, racial justice activist and journalist
"My initial relationship with Black History Month was a fairly homogenized, sanitized front. There was a great deal of emphasis on black exceptionalism, and not as much on the actual hardships and risks that our people have endured to bring about a better future for prosperity.
“We are always black history in the making -- and none of us can ever forget that."
"With the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, our collective consciousness has grown, and we've made room for more nuance. Now, there are far more influential LGBTQ folks that we remember and honor -- like Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde and Marsha P. Johnson. It helps as a black trans woman to see all of the parts of myself represented in history.
"[During] Black History Month, we are called to celebrate not only those we've lost, but those who are still with us. Given the foundation laid down by the Civil Rights Movement, we know that it is important for us to love and cherish the people doing the work today, because fighting for your rights and dignity is risky business. Black history is something we live with every day of the year and every minute of our lives.
"We are always black history in the making -- and none of us can ever forget that."
Zellie Imani, racial justice activist, teacher and adviser to Student Blackout protests
"Black history is more than slavery and the Civil Rights Movement. It is more than celebrating a list of famous black folks. Quite often, those names and faces that are celebrated have been pre-selected for us to celebrate.
"Today, we honor the community by uncovering stories that have been sanitized and desensitized, along with the courageous heroes who have been subject to erasure. It is an archaeological project that keeps us connected and grounded in a long black radical tradition."
Staceyann Chin, poet, artist, activist and creator of Living Room Protests
"In the last 20 years that I’ve been in America, I've seen the discussion about human rights in regard to race shift to include the LGBT individuals more than ever before -- and I’m not saying that's been voluntary or an easy journey. But perhaps it’s the result of the Black Lives Matter movement, which was started by black women, many of them queer.
"There is no one movement that will float while others sink."
"Since that movement has become part of the national conversation, I think we’ve come to the realization that there is no one movement that will float while others sink.
"But there is still pushback at that [activism]. The mainstream isn't wanting the sort of radical change that the more progressive of us are asking for. So we have to keep pushing...
"We've hit a critical point in America. If we push ourselves, we are on our way to being a more evolved group of people around the context of race. That's when Black History Month will become a true celebration, not this deep uncovering of a wound that refuses to heal because no one in power is addressing it in the way it should be addressed."
Blake Simons, deputy communications director for the Afrikan Black Coalition and leader of Student Blackout protests
"As a young black student, the month of February has always been complicated. I was oftentimes the token Negro in my classes. While my white teachers and classmates throughout the years celebrated Black History Month, I was often on the receiving end of stares and questions on how I felt about Black History Month as we studied the typical American revisionist history of Martin Luther King Jr. ...
"As I've matriculated into my consciousness and identity as a black man and have taken part in the Black Lives Matter movement, Black History Month has had a new meaning. Black history is every second, every minute and every day. The nuances of black people's brilliance cannot be captured or studied in the shortest month of the year."
Ashley Yates, member of Ferguson Action and Black Lives Matter, racial justice activist, and community organizer
"Sankofa is a word from Ghana that, loosely interpreted, means 'we must return to the past to move forward.' It's the idea that history is not only our teacher, but a necessary companion of our present and a vital key to our future.
"We must return to the past to move forward."
"In the era of Ferguson, Baltimore and a black liberation movement that refuses the status quo, Black History Month now feels more aligned with the idea of sankofa -- less about revisiting the old and more about reclaiming the new.
"Black History Month in 2016 means focusing on the black history often erased -- including the history of women, trans and queer people, and poor people. It's a rejection of lies, sanitized history and popular narratives. In this era, Black History Month is a celebration of every black experience throughout time. We are reaching back, moving forward and honoring everything it takes along the way."
Ruby Nell Sales, racial justice activist and founder of The Spirithouse Project
"Struggle doesn't happen without a context or a trajectory. It's evolutionary. That's what 'movement' means -- there is motion or movement, and one motion builds on another motion.
"There's been a continuous and longstanding meaning of 'black lives matter' in history, which is an assertion that black people have been uttering ever since we were brought to this country enslaved and reduced to property. The thinking that the disdain against state-sanctioned violence is something new is out-of line with the understanding of black history...
"Throughout history, all black lives have been stigmatized and criminalized -- it didn't start with the dawn of Black Lives Matter. [In looking at black history,] I think it's important to hear what one generation is saying to the other generation.
"We need to recognize where we've been to understand where we are."
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Topics Activism Social Good Racial Justice
