Our friends at the American embassy have lined up a string
of events in celebration of black history month. This month is all the more
significant this year as Barack Obama is now the President of the United
States, the first African
American to hold the position. The history of black America
is by no means a happy one in many ways but it is a history we ignore at our
peril. It is a history of struggle, of overcoming adversity and of the eventual
triumph of justice over hatred and injustice.
It is an understatement to dwell on the profound
significance of this month in light of the dramatic evolution of the United
States of America;
and more importantly to African-Americans in recent times.
February is marked annually by Americans in honor of the
transformational achievements by distinguished African-Americans in all walks
of American life; from Joseph Warren who in 1817 worked full-time as a
messenger at the State Department to the recent historical election and
remarkable inauguration of the first African- American President of the United
States of America,
Barack H. Obama.
In honor of this month, mindful of the sacrifices made by
those celebrated African-Americans and the values embedded in those sacred
principles that continue to guide America,
we must all join together with our American brothers and sisters to celebrate
and mark this important month. The history of America
as a nation is a history which is inextricably interwoven with the history of
black America.
It is a month where we as Africans should be proud of the role that our
forefathers played in the formation of the United
States and of the great
sacrifices they made in doing so. That great nation was built on their labour
and now we must come together regardless of colour to celebrate their immense
contribution to the formation of the great nation that is America.
"The
United
States is the glory, jest, and terror of mankind."
James M. Minifie