Recognizing African American Leaders
By Kimberly Smith

To recognize all of the contributors involved in creating rights and deserved freedoms for African Americans would take up all of the space allotted on Sunpiper Press’ website.  But there are certainly names that have become synonymous with the birth of the civil rights movement. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. is undeniably the proud father responsible for establishing a better way of life for every American--then and now.  What was once deemed impossible has flourished into a beautiful reality.  The lines of racism are consistently being erased with the dissipation of ignorance, allowing unity to become the defining thread weaving future generations together. 

King’s vision has literally changed the way human beings perceive one another.

Incredible sacrifices have been made to ensure a way of life that we often take for granted.  On a daily basis, it’s easy to forget about the unspeakable suffering that someone else had to endure in order for another to be free.  Appreciating this selfless act deserves a lifetime of mention, which is why the month of February is recognized as Black History Month. 

This particular month of the year gives us an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of African Americans from the past, enabling those of us in the present, to educate ourselves with the knowledge necessary to guarantee equality, as well as a general understanding for one another. 

The United States has welcomed an assortment of cultural diversities, thanks to the commitment brought forth by the African American community over the past several decades.  Though some of us choose to remain paralyzed through the debilitation brought forth by intolerance, most of us are wise enough to nurture the wide spectrum of ethnicities that this colorful world has to offer.  I believe that GOD created multiple shades of skin to appreciate the uniqueness that HE has bestowed upon us individually.

We are fortunate enough to access a wealth of history in an instant through the luxury of the Internet.  Spend some time this month researching the very people that literally redefined “equality.”  Though each one of them used a different method to execute their message, they were ultimately heard. 

Initiate a GOOGLE search for each of these amazing inspirations and prepare to marvel in what they’ve had to overcome, and with incredible will, successfully accomplished. 

Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglas, Malcolm X, Mary McLeod Bethune, John Brown, Linda Brown, Ruby Ridges, Medgar Evers, Marcus Garvey, Jesse Jackson, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Homer Plessy, Dred Scott, Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, to name a few. 

Not all of the above mentioned were African Americans, but firmly supported the belief in distributing fairness and equality to people of every race, color, and creed.  It is up to us to sustain the rights and freedoms that they bravely fought and died for. 

Black History Month serves as a much-needed reminder to value the civil evolution brought forth by each of these great leaders.  Without their passion for egalitarianism, we may have never known what it truly means to be free.

*****Recent tragedies afflicting other parts of the world are in need of our country’s compassion for humanity, and political strength.  The disturbing genocide in Sudan is another violent demonstration of racial and ethnic intolerance that needs to be eradicated from existence: Senseless slaughtering of the innocent needs to be stopped!  Please write to your local congressman and express your concerns.  Your voice may just be the one to make a difference!