As we observe Black History Month, it is essential to acknowledge and celebrate the resilience, leadership, and profound contributions of the Black community, whose vital role in shaping America’s growth and progress has been instrumental for generations.
This month presents an opportunity to honor the enduring legacy of those who paved the way and reaffirm our commitment to fostering a more just and equitable society. Reflecting on the rich tapestry of Black American history and their centuries-long struggle against adversity and injustice.
We stand on the shoulders of luminaries such as Crispus Attucks, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Fannie Lou Hamer, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and many others who have laid the groundwork for trailblazers like John Lewis, Shirley Chisholm, Barack Obama, and Kamala Harris.
We also take pride in celebrating the contributions of African-Americans from Arlington, Virginia, including Dr. Charles Drew, singer Roberta Flack, and John Bryce Syphax, who served as a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1874-1875.
Over the past year, our efforts have been directed toward countering the current White House administration’s attempts to undermine voting rights protections and distort electoral maps, as well as its tendency to downplay historical injustices such as slavery and attempts to dilute and even erase many African American historical facts.
Many of us have dedicated ourselves to preserving historical accuracy and will continue to do so.
This Black History Month, we renew our commitment to this endeavor and to educating our communities with factual accuracy and integrity.
Yours in service,
Dr. Scott Edwin Taylor, PhD
Sixty Seven Years Ago
The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington received a $12,000 grant from VA Humanities!
The grant will be used to help fund the Memorializing The Enslaved of Arlington project (MEA).
For more information, go to their website: www.enslaved.org
