Written by Tanya Free   

Black History Month is a well deserved opportunity to recognize and celebrate our legacy. While Black History month allows us to spotlight our history and accomplishments, it shouldn’t be limited to just one month. This month for the most part will be dedicated by many to the obligatory tributes to Dr. King, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass with nods to President Obama, Oprah, and a few other notable luminaries.

Our contributions as a people deserve much more recognition than a month of token references and selected TV specials featuring the who’s who of African American entertainers, actors and sports figures while the rest of the year’s focus of the media tends to be relegated to unflattering images of criminality on the evening newscasts followed by hip hop images of scantily clothed video vixens and wannabe thugs on cable music channels.

What started eighty four years ago as “Negro History Week" by Dr. Carter G. Woodson is long overdue, in my humble opinion, to evolve to the ultimate level – a celebration lasting 365 days each year. I am not proposing that we censor the negative images in our community in need of attention, only that we demand a balance in the portrayal of our community to the community at large. We need to shine the spotlight on the shining examples of positive imagery in our community. We should always honor our rich history while we commit to highlight the accomplishments of our present day heroes and the future luminaries and dignitaries in the making.

Live Life with a Purpose!