WHAT BLACK HISTORY MONTH {2022} MEANS TO ME
Disclaimer: Good Day, Readers. WealthBuildingPowers blog is a financial literacy/competency blog and does not provide specific investment recommendations.
WHAT BLACK HISTORY MONTH {2022} MEANS TO ME
Black History Month (BHM) was started 52 years ago. As I started thinking about this blog, I wondered if it is necessary to set aside one month to focus on Black History. Does this imply that we, “Black Americans,” are “less-than” because we must concentrate on our History in February? Is there a White, Hispanic, Jewish American history month, etc.?
I was struggling to embrace another black history month until I read an article by Laura Robbins that reminded me just how blessed I am.
I included a few paragraphs below and the link to the full article.
“All of the faces I saw were white, including the kids, including the parents, including the teachers. I remember looking up at my mother’s brown face for reassurance and feeling her squeeze my hand. The look in her eyes seemed to say, “Wait for it.”
Moments later, a Black woman in a dashiki strode into the room. She was brown, browner than both me and my mom put together. The color some Black people call “original” brown, like brown crayons or chocolate. She had full lips that matched her skin exactly and wore her natural hair in a large afro. The moment she entered the room, you could feel the molecules in the air rearranging themselves. The teachers stood a bit straighter, those chatty white parents got quiet one by one, and cautioned their kids with their eyes to do the same. Before she even opened her mouth you understood that this woman was important. All of the energy in the room was suddenly funneled toward her and she seemed entirely comfortable with that.
She looked at all of us, but stopped when her eyes found mine. Her sudden smile was dazzling, mesmerizing, like a shooting star, like the sun.
“Hi, I’m Principal Jackie Scott,” she said, addressing us all. “But you can call me Jackie.”
Eventually, I forgot to marvel at the fact that this strong, unapologetically Black woman who refused to alter the way she spoke or modulate her tone around white people was in charge. I forgot to be scared that someone might be so challenged by her hair or her attire that they would try to “take her down a peg” or call for her removal.
The example set for me by Jackie was a lasting and powerful one. Despite the messaging I got on television and our history books, because of her, it rarely occurred to me that there were limitations to what I could do or be.
Oh, and this too. Please let her know that just by being there, not only did Jackie make it OK to be Black, she actually made it something to be both respected and admired. And for that, I will be forever in her debt.” BY: Laura Cathcart Robbins
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brian-flores-black-school-principal-leader_n_6206dcfbe4b04af87f3d2e28
I acknowledge I was wrong, we NEED Black History Month! {Please do NOT tell my wife I admitted to being wrong!}
MY FAMILY MADE MY DREAMS REALITY!
The above article made me realize how blessed I was to have several black role models in my immediate family.
Dad – William Powers Sr., School Principal
Mom- Annie Powers – School Teacher
Favorite Uncle, Nathaniel Boney, {Middle in below photo} Science High School Teacher
Brother, William Powers Jr., Ph.D. {Right in below photo} Toxicology, Retired Corporate Executive and Author
I had these three and other articulate, educated, and respected black role models in my life EVERY DAY. They gave me the courage to strive for excellence, recognizing failures would occur and finding the strength to push onward. These role models are my foundation.
CONCLUSION: BLACK HISTORY MONTH’S {2022} MEANING TO ME
The purpose of Black history month is to highlight the accomplishments/successes of black people currently and in the past. It is a time to provide black boys and girls with role models and encouragement to work and strive for their dreams.
Black History Month allows anyone to see the many contributions of black people.
https://dailyhive.com/seattle/inventions-by-black-people
Too many children in this country are raised without a male role model/father in their home. The consequences are dire.
- High incarceration rates in U.S. prisons
- Significant High School dropout rates
- Repeating the sins of their fathers and being absent from their own children’s lives
- This absence impacts my race’s health, education, and wealth
For 2020, the percentage of U.S. babies born to single mothers was 40.5%. The two-parent family and economic well-being are interconnected.
2020:
- 4.7% of married-couple families in this country lived below the poverty level. But at the same time,
- 38.1% of female householders with children under 18 and no spouse present lived in poverty,
- 46.2% of female householders with no spouse and children under six lived in poverty.
Suppose America continues this decades-long -trend in which 40%+ of babies born each year are born to unmarried mothers, and even more are born on Medicaid. Our country will NO longer prosper in this globally competitive world.
You who have achieved success stand proud and please become needed role models. Volunteer to be that face and voice young boys and girls like Laura Robbins, NEED to see and, most importantly, know we are there for them.
For me, every day is Black History Day, every month is Black History Month, and every year is Black History Year. Black History is American History, and WE ARE FIRST AMERICANS.
Find your role models and use them to strive for excellence in all areas of your life. Especially being good and present parents!
I long for the day young people will see the accomplishments and successes of ALL Americans regardless of color or sex.
LET’S MAKE SOME MONEY – CRYPTOCURRENCY IS ACCEPTED!
EXAMPLE CHARITIES I SUPPORT
St Jude Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/
Wounded Warrior Project: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org
Folds of Honor: https://foldsofhonor.org
Wilson’s No-Kill Animal Shelter: https://wcnkas.org
YOUR GREATNESS IS NOT WHAT YOU HAVE; IT’s WHAT YOU GIVE!
TRUST ME – YOU WILL LIKE THE BELOW FREE POPULAR BLOGS!
The Message of Sidney Poitier’s Success – He improved America’s perceptions of its black countrymen at a time when it mattered.
I WAS TEN YEARS OLD WHEN DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. WAS ASSASSINATED
“WHAT WE BECOME DEPENDS ON WHAT OUR FATHERS TEACH US AT ODD MOMENTS, WHEN THEY AREN’T TRYING TO TEACH US”
https://wealthbuildingpowers.com/2021/11/03/what-we-become-depends-on-what-our-fathers-teach-us-at-odd-moments-when-they-arent-trying-to-teach-us/
WE NEED MORE STEM MAJORS AND LEGACIES LIKE MYLES JOHNSON!
DADS WHO RAISED ME TO BE MORE THAN I COULD BE!
FROM CENTURIES OF VICTIMIZATION TO VICTORY!
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY – “EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON WITH WHICH YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD” NELSON MANDELLA
IT IS TIME TO STOP PAYING LIP SERVICE TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
RELEVANT TODAY – DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR’S, 1963 LETTER FROM THE BIRMINGHAM JAIL
MOST OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF JUSTIN BIEBER – BUT WHO IS KEN FRAIZER?
DOES IT MATTER THAT 73 PERCENT OF BLACK BABIES ARE BORN TO SINGLE MOMS?
IF THERE WAS A TIME MACHINE – THESE ARE MY LESSONS LEARNED FOR MY 20’S SELF! – DR. WILLIAM (BILL) POWERS; Ph.D.; SUSPENSE/THRILLER NOVELIST
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ABOUT ME
I am a proud nerd (as my beautiful wife and daughter have told me) investment and finance blogger with an N.C. State, Chemical Engineering, University Rutgers, MBA and Harvard University, Advanced Management education.
I left a corporate career because I desired to make a difference as a speaker and writer. I was blessed to be coached and mentored by strong women and men in my family and professional life. It is my time to serve and give back.
DISCLAIMER
I started my first business at ~13 years of age (a small but brilliantly created plant nursery). I am a successful investor in stocks, options, real estate and am happy to share my finance and investment lessons. I am NOT a licensed financial advisor. Please do not construe my suggestions on this blog as recommendations for your situation. As an investor, you must establish your risk/loss tolerance. Investment in any asset involves risk, including complete loss.
Please seek your licensed CPA or fiduciary financial advisors for individual financial advice.
I write this weekly blog to make an impact by reaching an audience and demonstrating the need for financial literacy. I will help you get there.
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