Happiest of Black History Months, Years, Millennia, and Beyond

Starting Black History Month, we remember Carter G. Woodson with gratitude for his vision in commemorating our Black servant-leaders. We thank him for Black History Week—born from his deep understanding of the urgent need to correct the erasure of Black excellence in America—and for its expansion into a month-long celebration that calls us to recognize, honor, and revel in the magnificence of Black people across time and place. Woodson understood that history is not just about the past—it is a living, breathing force that shapes the present and the future. He knew that if we did not take control of our narrative, others would define it for us, distorting our contributions and diminishing our significance. Black History Month stands as a testament to our ability to affirm our worth, our achievements, and our rightful place in history.

We celebrate because we are beautiful.

We are brilliant—famous and unsung, known and overlooked, celebrated and underestimated. We are one, alike, and completely different. Our sameness and diversity are both a gift and a power. Some things can be seen and understood even when left unspoken—a nod across a crowded room, the way colors embrace our skin, the effortless rhythm in our steps, the way a piece of clothing is styled just so, carrying history, access, energy, and the unique essence of the one who wears it. These are not mere aesthetics; they are declarations of identity, resilience, and creative genius. To express one’s full self is not just a right; it is a moral obligation for those who seek to contribute something meaningful to the world.

We celebrate because we innovate.

Across sectors, across continents, we have built, created, and transformed. We have been the architects of scientific breakthroughs, the poets of liberation, the engineers of industry, the visionaries of social movements. From the ingenuity of our ancestors to the trailblazers shaping tomorrow, our impact is undeniable, our contributions immeasurable. But let it be clear: this celebration is not an attempt to water down our differences to make our presence more comfortable for others. This is not a statement crafted to make us more palatable or to emphasize our sameness for the sake of acceptance.

We are powerful not just in how we are alike, but in how we are distinct.

We are not the same neighborhoods, nations, colors, ethnicities, styles, languages, appetites, upbringings, or associations. But that is no reason to alienate one another or allow anyone to diminish any one of us. Our diversity is not a division—it is an amplification of our collective brilliance. This is a letter calling us to pause amid the hustle and bustle of daily life to recognize our splendor. To sit in every experience—sweet and sour—and absorb them all, thanking them for shaping who we are today.

We celebrate every single one of us, from everywhere.

Like Ms. Nina said, from Aunt Sarah, Saffronia, Sweet Thing, to Peaches and many others. Like the countless names known and unknown, whispered in our prayers, etched into our hearts, carried in our spirits.

Happiest of Black History Months, Years, Millennia, and Beyond.

Onward.