First, let’s examine why history is so important. What can we learn from a person’s history? Well, where they are from. What are their beliefs, culture, values system, and past experiences. Are these ideals important when getting to know someone? I say yes. It tells you about their personality, their character and shows a lot about how they live.
Your history shows your richness – that is what makes you unique! This adds value to the world. We live in such a complex and textured world. Filled with different ideas. That is what helps society stretch and grow. Can you imagine if we were all the same? What kind of world could we build? There would not be enough creativity and innovation. How could we move beyond our boundaries?
Your history is about getting to know yourself which helps you define who you are so you can go out into the world and build a life. Learning your cultural background helps you build your core so you can go out into the world and make valuable connections which helps you build your world. Once you have your culture and your core values, you can go into the world and live, learn, understand and appreciate what makes other cultures unique. We learn to communicate better and learn how not to be afraid of someone who is different than you. You learn to grow and respect differences.
In this country, Black people came here under different circumstances than everyone else. We did not come here to seek our fortune and work to build a life. Most of us came by force during the transatlantic slave trade. Stripped of our freedom, family members being sold at any given time and having to endure inhumane living and working conditions. Despite all the degradation and suffering Black people experienced during and after slavery, we still made many valuable contributions to the world. This is where Black History comes in. During our darkest times we contributed to science, technology, the improvement of household goods and services, maritime trade advancements and farm work innovation. Some innovators held patents others could not – their slave masters held the paten’s. There are so many stories to be told of creativity, sacrifice and persistence in the face of violence and death. I believe once these stories are told, we will see what a bootstrap really looks like. Also, pride can shine through despite such an ugly past. It’s actually a story for everyone to realize that through adversity we can have hope and build a great future. These are some of the reasons why Black History is Important for everyone. Black history is everybody’s history. We all can gain inspiration and learn resilience by watching everyone – even those who don’t look like us.
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