As we enter Black History Month. let us reflect upon the common denominator that carried us as African Americans through history, enabling us to persevere and become “Black History.” That common denominator was hope.
Today we still persevere as a people amid times such as these, where attempts via racist ideologies masqueraded as patriotic political policies, and systematic exclusionary practices masked as making America great again concepts.
In times such as these, our history is being erased. We must understand that this is not a drill.
However, throughout our history, what has been the motivating force to cement our presence is our resilience. This has been the wind beneath our wings in the African American community, our resilient faith and our ability to clutch on to hope via faith and never letting go. Throughout history, we have been the resuscitators of hope fueled by our unequivocal inheritance of systematic oppressions in every way, shape or form. The more that we were oppressed and excluded, the stronger our faith and hope became, giving credence to our sense of resilience and making us not only recognized as “Black” history, but as “global” history.
Throughout our history, if we had given up due to setbacks or due to challenging circumstances such as slavery that impeded our progress, our self-worth, and our path forward, we would have never progressed as a people.
Even during that ungodly period of slavery when our faith was really tested, we stayed the course of hope — even when President Lincoln’s faith started to waver. Lincoln didn’t free the slaves, the slaves freed Lincoln.
Nobody goes forward in warfare without at some time having to make a strategic retreat to develop where they were weak in order to come back strong. While others surrender, while others tap out, thinking there is no hope, our resilience and faith comes to fruition. We as a people didn’t dare to tap out. We tapped in!
We tapped deeply into our faith and history of resilience because we understood that there’s always hope when faith is in God — and not in any president, ruler, politician, leader, or political policies.
The Lord was always and shall forever be our shepherd and we shall not want, and yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil for thou art with us in times such as these.
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