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Did you know that February is Black History month? Of course you did, but do you know why it’s February?
Well, funny story. In 1926, historian Carter Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History decided and announced the second week of February as “Negro History Week”. The reason to select the month was already intriguing; most intriguing is why the second week of the month?
It so happens that Carter wanted to honor Frederick Douglass – Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became one of the great American anti-slavery leaders of the 1800s. He was born into slavery in Maryland but in 1838, at age 20, he escaped to freedom in New York – who was born on February 14 and Abraham Lincoln – Lincoln spoke out against the expansion of slavery and set to abolish the practice when he became president in 1861 – who was born on February 12.
But it was not until five decades, 50 years (in 1976) later that a president of the United States (Gerald Ford) recognized and made Black History Month official, urging everyone to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Whether you’re Black or White, Black History Month is also your history; of honor and valor if your ancestors were slaves, of shame if your ancestors were slave owners. Either way, the history of Blacks in America cannot be ignored and is still being written. You have an obligation to contribute towards the betterment of race relations in the country, or you are simply part of the problem who stands in the way of a better tomorrow.
Whichever side you stand today, The OBAMA Legacy opens a window into the soul of a country that has long been torn between painting all Blacks as villains and electing a Black as president. This book, also available in audio (The OBAMA Legacy Audio) “is unequivocally the ONLY book which looks at the Obama’s presidency – the first Black to occupy the Oval Office – through the prism of history“. It discusses his successes and failures, exposes the familiar struggles ALL Blacks go through every day, a struggle not even the president of the United States could escape.
The OBAMA Legacy is HIGHLY recommended a) to dispel the myths about his presidency b) because you need to know the actual story of the first black president. It is your history; it is every American’s history. It is our legacy.
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