Black American is an Ethnicity. A Triumph Story.

Black History Month doesn’t memorialize race. It honors the impossible that transpired despite it. [published in The Republic newspaper]

As Black History Month commemorates, the question, “Why Should We Celebrate Black History Month?” seems less and less rhetorical as our cultural conversations become more divided. Currently, there’s a public debate on whether this holiday is celebratory or “segregationist.” And the parley seems to start with our opposing opinions with the term “Black.” And funny enough, each position has utilized the exact historical figure to vindicate their argument against the other, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

So, who better to clarify the term “Black” than King himself. Let’s go back to the 1950s, from a pulpit in the south. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made an enthusiastic address to the Black American community.

Martin explained, “If the [Black American] is to be free, [you] must move down into the inner resources of [your] own soul and sign with a pen and ink,” expounding that “no document can do this for us.” Here, King illustrates personal freedom from racial identity. But before I elaborate on that point, let me share his concluding statement. “Be proud of our heritage,” he said, “I’m Black, and I’m proud of it. I’m Black and beautiful!” King didn’t double-speak here. He is very…