PaulRiley BlackHistoryMonthSpeech

WhenIthinkabouttheMonthofFebruary,Ithinkaboutafew

things.Formillionsoffootballfansandcommerciallovers,itisthemonthinwhichsitaroundtheTVandwatchTheSuperBowl.Februaryisalsothemonthwhereweexpressourlovetooneanother,onValentine’sDay,throughcards,chocolateandroses.Forothers,youseeFebruaryasthelastrealmonthofwinterandyoulookforwardtothewarmerclimatethatthemonthofMarchbrings.

WhatmanyofyoumaynotrealizeisthatFebruaryisalsothemonthinwhichwecelebrateBlackHistory.Itisatimewherewerememberandcommemoratethelivesofblackswhocontinuetohaveapositiveandsignificantimpactonsociety.

NowthatallofyouknowwhatIwillbetalkingabouttoday,therearethreegroupsthathavejustformedwithinthischapel.OnegroupishappythatIamtalkingaboutBlackHistory,onegroupisindifferent,meaningthattheydon’tcarewhatmyspeechisabout,andonegroupissimplyannoyedandirritated.TheyarewonderingwhywecontinuetotalkaboutBlackHistoryandwhywefocusonthingsthathavehappenedinthepast.Nomatterwhatgroupyoumayfindyourselfin,IhopethatyouwilllistentowhatIhavetosaytoday. WhenIthinkaboutBlackHistoryMonth,Ithinkaboutthreethings:Relevance,ReiterationandReality.IfeelthatinorderforBlackHistoryMonthtocontinuetohavesignificance,thesethreethingshavetobeaddressed. Relevance:somethingthatiscurrentandsomethingthatpeoplefeelconnectedto.Inadayandagewheretechnologyisatthefore‐frontofsociety,relevanceisveryimportant.Onedaysomethingcouldbeamediahit,forexamplethehomelessmanwiththeuniquevoice,andthenextdayforgotten.IfeelthatthissamethinghashappenedtoBlackHistoryMonth.TodayweseethingslikeJimCrowandtheCivil

RightsMovementasdistantmemoriesandasthingsthathavehappenedsolongago,asifitwereancienthistory.WecansitinclassandwatcheverydocumentaryandreadeverybookonBlackHistory,butmanypeoplestilldonotseeitasrelevant.BecauseweliveinasocietywhereindividualismisstressedandwhereeverypersonisstrivingtoachievetheAmericandream,weareconstantlyfocusingonourfuture,whilesimultaneouslyforgettingourpast.Weasacommunitymustfindwaystopreserveourhistorysothatwecankeepthehopesanddreamsofthosebeforeus,aliveandrelevanttoday.Iamastrongbelieverthatinordertoreachhigherheightsinthefuture,wehavetousethepastasthefoundationonwhichwebuildoffof.TheonewaythatyoucankeepBlackHistoryMonthrelevantisbycontinuingtohaveadialogue.Ididn’ttrulyunderstandtheimportanceofhavingadialogueuntilItookAmericanLiteratureineleventhgrade.Inthisclass,wereadmanybooksthatfocusedonblacks,like“HuckleberryFinn”and“TheirEyesWereWatchingGod”.Inthesestories,severalissueswereaddressed,likeracism,segregation,andtheusageoftheNword.Iwouldconstantlyhearmypeersmentionhowtheycouldnotstandreadingthesebooksbecausethewordswereslurredandcutoff,makingitdifficulttoreadthetext.Ifeelthatthisclasswaseffectivebecauseitgavestudentstheopportunitytobehonestandopenabouttheirtruefeelings.Byatleasthavingadialoguewithintheclass,itallowedforpeopletohearotherpeople’spersepectivesontopicsthatareoftennottalkedabout,likeraceforexample.Ifeelthatwenowliveinadayandageofextremepoliticalcorrectness,wherepeoplehavebecomeafraidtosharetheirthoughtsandwherepeopleshyawayfromtalkingabouttouchytopics.Inorderforustoprogressasacommunity,wehavetobeginhavingtheseconservations,andwehavetobreakthroughthewallofuneasinesssothatwecanunderstandeachotherbetterandsothatwecanbecomeacommunitythatisawareoftheissuesofallofitsmembers. #2Reiteration:theactofrepeatingsomethingoverandoveragain.Wereiteratesomethingtoinstillitinthemindsofothers,topaintanimageorpictureinsomeone’smind,andtoemphasizeour

point.IfeelthatwithBlackHistoryMonthwehavereiteratedthesamethingsoverandoveragain.WehavealllearnedaboutMartinLutherKing,Jr.,theleaderoftheCivilRightsMovementandRosaParks,thewomanwhorefusedtogiveupherseatonthebus.Iaminnoway,shape,orformtryingtodevaluetheirsignificantcontributionstotheCivilRightsMovementandBlackHistoryMonth,butIfeelthatBlackHistoryMonthshouldalsoshinealightontheblackswhohavehadasignificantimpactonthewaythatwelivelife.PeoplelikeFrederickJoneswhoinventedarefrigerationsystemforlonghaultrucksin1935,HenrySampson,whowasawardedapatentin1971fora“gamma‐electricalcell”whichcouldsendandreceiveaudiosignalsandwhichwaslikeapre‐moderncell‐phone.W.B.Purviswhoreceivedapatentforthefountainpenin1890,whenhesawtheneedforabetterandmoreefficientwaytosignlettersanddocuments.IamprettysurethatthesepeoplelikeMartinLutherKingJr.,hadadream,whetheroutofcuriosityornecessity,andhadfaithandastrongbeliefthattheywerecapableofachievingthings,whichwereconsideredinnovativeandrevolutionaryfortheirtime.Wemustreiteratethefactthatblacksofferedanarrayofthingstosociety.Therewereblackswhowereactivist,whowereinventorsandblackswhoplayedasignificantpartwhentheyparticipatedinBusBoycottsandwhentheymarchedthroughthestreetscallingforsocialjusticeandequality. Lastly,Reality.WhenIlearnedaboutBlackHistory,itwasalwaysinageneralsense.IlearnedabouthowBlacksfoughtagainstsegregationandJimCrowandhowtheyovercameobstaclesinordertoachievethecommongoalofequalopportunity.TheproblemthatIhaveisthatIdonotfeelthatweasstudentsarebeingtaughtenough.Whenwelearnaboutblackhistory,wehavetolearnthatblackswerestruckdownbywaterhoses,andthatthepeoplewhoweresupposedtobeprotectingblacks,thepoliceofficers,weretheonesaimingthewaterhoses.Wemustlearnhowblackswerelynched,andsometimesskinnedandburnedalive.Wemustlearnthatfoodwasthrownonblackswhentheydemandedtositandbeservedtogetheratwhiteonlydiners.Wemust

alsolearnaboutFreedomRides,whereblacksriskedtheirlivesastheytraveledtotheSouthtotesttheeffectivenessofarulingthatoutlawedracialsegregationinterminalsservinginterstatebuses.WemustlearnabouttheLittleRock9,agroupofninestudentswhofacedoppositionfromtheGovernorandtheNationalGuardastheytriedtoenterCentralHighinLittleRock,Arkansas.Alloftheaforementionedexamplesshowhope.Hopethattheycouldonedayreceivethesameeducationastheirwhitecounterparts.Hopethatabrighterdaywasrightaroundthecorner.HopeforadaywherelovewouldconquerthesegregationandovertracismthatplaguedAmerica.Theyalsohadfaith.Faithinthemselves.Faiththatwhattheyweredoingwasnotinvain.Faithtoendurethehardtimesthattheyfaced.Mostimportantly,FaiththatGodwouldwatchoverandprotectthemastheyfoughttorightthewrongsofsociety.

Whenwelearnabouthistory,wemustlearnaboutthegood,thebad,andtheugly.Wemustlearnfromourpast,sothatwedon’trepeatthesamemistakesinthefuture.BlackHistoryMonthissomuchmorethanjustcommemoratingthelivesofblackswhodidsomethingamazing,extraordinary,andrevolutionary.Itisalsoaboutrecognizingthesignificanceofaracecomingtogethertofightfortherightsthattheyknewtheysorichlydeserved.Today,becauseoftheresilienceanddeterminationofthosebeforeme,Idonothavetoendurethetrialsandtribulationsthatthosebeforemeendured.ThefactthatIamevenspeakinginfrontofyoutoday,showshowfarwehavecomeasanationanditshowshowthefaith,hopeanddeterminationofthosebeforemehasgivenmesomanygreatopportunitiestoday.

Althoughwehavemadeprogress,wemustcontinuetofighttoensurethatjusticeandequalityprevailbecause,asMLKputit,injusticeanywhereisathreattojusticeeverywhere.We,asacommunity,cantalkandtalkandtalkandtalk,butIamastrongbelieverthatactionsspeaklouderthanwords.Youcandoyourpartbyacceptingthedifferencesinothers,bytreatingeveryonewithkindnessandrespect,andbystrivingtomakeadifference,whetherbigorsmall.

BlackHistoryMonthgivesustheopportunitytoacknowledgeandrecognizethosepeoplewhohavemadeadifference.Itdoesnottakemuchtomakeadifference.Allyouneedareearstohearthevoicesofothers,aheartthatiswillingtoserve,andavoicethatiswillingtospeakupforwhatyoubelievein.

ThankYou.