Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, the first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
Ogor Winnie Okoye, an attorney and contributing columnist for USAfricaLive.com, is Chairperson of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in New England,
A young, naïve, hopeless romantic, bright-eyed and optimistic, twenty-something-year-old attorney had arrived at the Boston Logan Airport from Nigeria. It was the late 1990s and she was here on her fiancée visa to marry the love of her life. Despite reading and learning about the history of her soon- to- be new country, she had no sense of Black History and its implications for this country. Soon, she will come to see that her lived experience in her new country would be deeply entrenched in a new identity that would forever become her reality. “What the heck is Black history?” she had wondered, shortly after her arrival. “How can Blacks living in the United States have a separate history?”
Prior to her arrival, she had read quite a bit about the history of her new country. She could sing the Star-Spangled Banner, she learned about the “founding fathers” and the ideals of equality, freedom, and equal protection under the law for all, and knew instinctively that this new land would be the place to grow, strive and thrive. After all, this was the driving mission of the young militant attorney committed to fighting for justice, truth, and fundamental fairness—a mission her native land still struggled to achieve. Her most famous line from Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, “we hold this truth to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . .” The land of the free and the home of the brave was the fitting environment to perfect her pact with destiny; one of ensuring a fairer and more equitable world, where everyone could at least have a fighting chance.
Months after her arrival, after a shattering reality upended her core of truth, she would come to the sobering reality that a caste system existed in the United States and that indeed, people that looked like her experienced daily assaults to their humanity. A realization that sent her digging and voraciously reading through the truth and facts of history to learn and understand ways to cope, strive and thrive as a Black immigrant woman living in the United States. All men were after all not created equal!
Black history is indeed American history and one that must be taught, as a matter of necessity, to everyone within and without its borders. Of all the stellar ideals that the United States stands for, the underbelly of the vestiges of slavery and segregation, and the struggles, triumphs and resilience of its Black and Brown citizens must be recognized, applauded, celebrated and their grievances which persist till date redressed. The prejudice and discrimination meted out to Black and Brown people due to slavery and racism were rarely confronted or addressed in history and persist to date.
Today, some quarters still struggle to accept historical facts; one as simple as the cause of the Civil War is still being debated, despite the truth that slavery was the primary catalyst behind the Civil War. The economic and health disparities, systemic inequities, and carceral system continue to oppress Black Americans on a daily basis, despite the perceived progress many believe this country has achieved.
Today, as I navigate the multiple roadblocks and relentless micro and macro aggressions that are integral parts of living as a privileged attorney and woman of color in the United States, I cannot help but pause in a moment of awe, honor, and deep appreciation of Black and Brown people whose blood and sweat irrigated the land on which myself and so many other citizens and immigrants have the luxury of enjoying today. I am almost ashamed of the audacity to complain about my little daily struggles that pale in comparison to the audacious sacrifices our Black and Brown ancestors have made in this arena.
As we celebrate Black History Month in 2024, I stand in awe of the resilience, grit, tenacity, and sacrifices made by these gallant humans who paved the way and made it possible for recent immigrants such as me to become a part of this wonderful, albeit flawed nation still on its quest to perfect the promises of its “founding fathers.”
The legacies of these courageous advocates whose struggles remind us, daily, that the liberties we now enjoy were aspirations and dreams for them. Their journeys were marked by relentless effort and sacrifices, that laid the unshakeable foundation on which we stand today.
The Black History Month theme for 2024, “African Americans and the Arts,” centers the amazing contributions of African Americans in the fields of visual and performing arts, literature, fashion, folklore, language, film, music, architecture, culinary and other forms of cultural expression. It is undeniable that the immense influence of Black culture in music, film, fashion, and arts in the United States is one of the reasons why every young child in any part of the world embraces American film and music as the gold standard. Black culture, fashion, music, and arts are often imitated yet villainized. Everybody wants to be Black without carrying the burden that comes with Blackness in the United States.
The power and influence of Blackness in all its manifestations is pervasive and has stood the test of time. In music, film, entertainment and sports, Black Americans have provided the blueprint for what we have today. Trailblazers such as James Baldwin, Eadweard Muybridge, Sidney Poitier, Aretha Franklin, Weather girls, Whitney Houston, Maya Angelou, Mohammed Ali, George Foreman, Mr. T, Michael Jackson, Otis Blackwell, Morgan Freeman among others have over the years been sources of inspiration to countless people all over the world. We have looked at their contribution as proof that it can be done. Unfortunately, as alluded to earlier, Black arts and entertainment are often ridiculed before they are usurped. A case in point is the famous Hound Dog song that catapulted Elvis Presley into the spotlight despite it having been first recorded by Big Mama Thornton, a Black woman. The lists abound.
I want to encourage everyone; colleagues and allies alike, to familiarize yourself with the facts of history. Truth cannot be conveyed through the erasure or minimization of history; rather, it requires an objective examination and an intentional and proactive effort from all quarters to address past and present injustices. I hope you can take some time this month to read, understand and appreciate the immense contributions of Black and Brown people to our collective destinies. The DEI committee completed an insightful and informative book on the government’s role in perpetuating de jure segregation on Black and Brown people in the United States as part of our book club initiative this past year (Check out the Color of Law by Richard Rothstein). We also concluded a 12-week racial equity challenge that impacted a lot of the participants in positive and transformative ways.
Black joy, as well as Black culture, music, arts, resilience, strength, excellence, tenacity, and history matter. They are an integral part of our collective history.
Happy Black History Month 2024!
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