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Black History Month: Movies, TV shows and books on systemic racism
To celebrate the annual observance, and in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, here are materials to help educate all ages about the fight for racial justice.
Feb. 3, 2021 10:55 a.m. PT
Books for Black History Month on display at the Elmont Memorial Library in Elmont, New York. Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images
Each February brings Black History Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements of African-Americans, and their central role in shaping American society and history. It s also an opportunity to recommit to better understanding and combatting systemic racism and oppression.
Ahead of the federal holiday celebrating the birthday of the civil rights leader, here are materials to help educate all ages about the fight for racial justice.
Jaida Hampton, a 2020 UK graduate, was a political science major and active in summer protests over the killing of Breonna Taylor.
Black students have only been present, much less welcomed, for less than half of the University of Kentuckyâs 155-year history. Seventy-one years ago, Lyman T. Johnson won a lawsuit that helped integrate the all-white school. Even though he never graduated from UK, and never intended to, his actions helped future generations of Black students.
However, despite Johnsonâs efforts so many years ago, UKâs Black community is still facing challenges today. For the first time last year, the university offered a major in African American and Africana studies. But 2019 also saw the Main Building sit-in led by the students of the Black Student Advisory Council and the Basic Needs campaign. Among demands to make the university more diverse and inclusive via policy changes, students were also demanding, again, that the New Deal-era mural in Memorial
Sam Sharpe
One hundred and eighty-eight years after his death, Sam Sharpe Day is a reality. December 27 has been proclaimed Sam Sharpe Day by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen. It has certainly took successive Jamaican governments long enough to recognise and commemorate the significant role Sam Sharpe played in organising the Christmas Rebellion of 1831, which was a catalyst for the abolition of slavery. The Sam Sharpe Rebellion, or the Christmas Rebellion, ushered in calls for emancipation, both in Jamaica and in England, where abolitionists worked on the legislation to free the enslaved Africans.
So great was Sharpe’s contribution to the abolition of slavery that it warrants more than a Sam Sharpe Day; indeed, a national holiday would be most appropriate. Sharpe’s contribution to modern-day Jamaica is incalculable. His worth has been under-represented for years. To add insult to injury, the teaching of history education is optional, and as such, many Jamaicans are not a
Sam Sharpe uprising long time coming jamaicaobserver.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jamaicaobserver.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.