February is Black History Month and a time to celebrate black figureheads who have done amazing things for our society.
Let’s start with the woman who got me into music and has inspired thousands of people, Aretha Franklin. The first song I heard of hers was “Respect” and that became an anthem for me. It was a call to action in direct response to the song “Sock it to me”, which is a man demanding submission from his wife. She was a strong woman who was unafraid in her music and broke too many glass ceilings to count.
Martin Luther King Jr. is the face of equality, he fought for freedom and made one of the biggest differences in a time where Jim Crow laws were still intact. His famous “I Have a Dream” speech has inspired so many people to keep fighting for what is right. The line “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream,” is in a notebook of quotes that have inspired me. This line rings true to this day, we can apply it to every inequality we see in our modern society. It is a reminder to fight until we see the change we want.
Recently, Hank Aaron, a renowned baseball player who grew up in the Jim Crow south, passed away. He quit high school to join the Negro League and played shortstop for a very small amount of money. He began his attempt to beat Babe Ruth’s home-run record and in the process received a lot of racist backlash and even death threats. He eventually broke the record and then moved on to become one of the first black managers in Major League Baseball. Before his death, he was fighting alongside activists and even got a COVID vaccine. He stayed vigilant his entire life and became a role model for so many people, a symbol whose message is to keep fighting until you cannot.
Barack and Michelle Obama are two of my favorite political figures. I have read both of their books and highly recommend them. Michelle started a healthy eating program in schools to directly combat health and obesity problems in the United States. She received a lot of backlash, healthy school lunch is certainly not what a child wants, but she moved forward because that was what they needed. Barack made history as the first black President of The United States and he enacted policies to protect minorities, including women, immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community. His birthplace was questioned and he was constantly met with racist rhetoric in an attempt to discredit his achievements. He met these with humor, even showing a clip of “The Lion King” and joking that it was his official birth video. Both continue to do incredible work and use their influence to make real change.
Unfortunately, I cannot include all the figures that have inspired me, but I encourage everyone to continue to recognize these amazing people and those who have inspired you. Not only during Black History Month, but every day of the year. Let their work inspire you and share it with others to keep their legacies alive.
