Black History at its best..

As the month comes to a close, I am reminded of my younger days when Black History Month meant so much more to me. These days I am so busy running back and forth dealing with being a new wife and a Mom, and trying to develop business initiatives that I neglect all of the ceremonies and gatherings that celebrate the month. Sometimes I feel like I've dropped the ball.

I feel like I should be sitting my stepson down and teaching him about all of the important people who have played a part in creating 'Black' history. He is a very intelligent child, so going with the average, cookie-cutter pitch that most kids get is NOT for him. He is well aware of who most of these people are. But that doesn't mean that Black History is any less important. After wracking my brain to try and figure out what to say, I realized that I was overlooking some of the most important people in Black history-our own family members.
My grandmother has been a life-long Civil Rights activist. My admiration of who she is and what she does goes beyond the simple fact that she is my grandmother. She is, to me, the epitome of what Grass Roots activism is in this country. I have watched her spend hours driving around town giving people rides to classes, workshops, doctor's appointments, and polling places. And her work never stops in the Black community. She believes that true activism includes supporting ALL people. We come from a very multicultural family, and believe in embracing unity. My stepson is blessed to have my grandmother showing him examples everyday of true unity and activism, as well as his paternal grandmother (my very intelligent mother-in-law) providing examples and reminders of how to embrace his past. My mother-in-law has passed down her knowledge and experiences through my husband. We are truly blessed!

We tend to sometimes overlooked things that are right in our face. Whether it is our own parents, or the couple down the street, true activism starts in our own backyards.