Represent your blackness and its history all year

William H. Kelly III
Editor-in-Chief

It is now midway through Black History Month (BHM) 2017 and the month of February has been eventful. Black History Month is the time of the year that all African-Americans across the globe come together to truly appreciate and wear their blackness as a unit.

Black History Month is something that you look forward to celebrating and have always looked forward to, even as a child. The programs, projects, and of course walking into class to see the black box television sitting on the black rolling stand with VHS tapes and DVDs stacked to the ceiling marked a great day at school.

Some of us may not have realized it then, but even as children, we were being prepared mentally to take on the world and dominate as a black race with a strong mind and heart. Our history is vast, powerful, and at times a bit cloudy, but it is unquestionably far from mediocre.

Attending an HBCU has, without a doubt, made me more aware of my history and I am much more appreciative as I obtain more knowledge. It is necessary that we take advantage of these courses that are offered so that we may become more aware of the history of Mississippi, where our beloved university is located.

There are those hidden figures in history that contributed greatly to the Civil Rights Movement and the progression of African-Americans that we, as a nation, must become more knowledgeable of. Years from now, the future generations, who will be comprised of our children and their children, will look back at the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement and compare the two.

Please understand, this next statement and take it as you must. WE ARE THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT.

It is difficult to compare the two movements considering their differences, but unfortunately they share just as many similarities, if not more. One must first come to the understanding that EVERYTHING in society has been, and is, reoccurring and repetitive.

Believe it or not, we are all contributors to this movement. Whether you were front and center at marches and protests or sitting at home tweeting, you are a contributor. With today’s rapid advancements in technology, one can only assume that, just as our current abilities, the generations to come will have access to anything that they can visualize, including those videos and tweets.

To my knowledge, there have not been any recent negative disruptions to awaken the BLM community, but we must expect the unexpected. The movement as a whole has settled down, which only leads me to assume that there is progress.

At times, we don’t realize that the Civil Rights Movement didn’t occur over a period of days or weeks, it was YEARS. To truly see the change that you desire, it will take years of effective work and patience.

In other words, YOU must be the change you desire. To sit by quietly and not stand up for equality and justice for all would be a disservice to all the civil rights pioneers who paved the way for us. We would not comfortably be attending this university if not blood, sweat and tears of our forebears.

Remember that YOU are Black History and everything you do throughout your lifetime is your contribution. Make it matter.