In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, stating that anyone who is enslaved shall be a free person. On Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery, was passed and implemented. The African American ancestors fought for the freedom that Black people have today. Celebrating the ancestors and still continuously fighting for rights and equality of Black people who lost their lives to racism or violence is still something being exercised in the Black community today. In February, the Black community celebrates, acknowledges and pays tribute to African Americans who fought in the face of adversity and gave the Black community what they have today.

Black History Month comes from the original celebration of “Negro History Week.” Mayors all across the country started issuing yearly proclamations acknowledging “Negro History Week.” After the Civil Rights Movement, “Negro History Week” evolved into Black History Month and was acknowledged on college campuses.

President Gerald Ford was the first president to officially recognize Black History Month. According to the History Channel, President Ford said Americans should “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Since then, every Black History Month that comes around has a theme. In 2023, the theme is “Black Resistance.” “Black Resistance” allows African Americans to remember how they have always fought against oppression and racial terrorism since the beginning of time.

Senior Keegan Isowe, also known as Val, was asked what being Black means to him.

“I guess being Black for me is the equivalent to having both a gift and a curse,” Isowe said. “It’s something that’s both despised by people, yet something that is yearned for. I guess for me being Black is being penalized, yet praised. It’s something that I express in a nonconventional way, and that’s a beautiful thing to me.”

Senior Flida Etchouekang was also asked the same question.

“Being Black means being able to proudly showcase my culture as a person of color while having a community of like minded individuals who feel motivated to embrace our differences,” Etchouekang said.

Some of the amazing ancestors who fought for the rights and freedoms for people of color are Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Coretta Scott King and so many more.

The six teachers of color at Melissa High School were also interviewed on how they manage expectations as a person of color in a less diversified setting.

“Understanding my culture and background helps my connection with the students, so it’s imperative that I carry myself in a manner to be a role model/mentor,” Zach Whitfield said.

Mr. Whitfield moved around from school to school and having that experience also helps his influence with the students.

Science teacher Edla Simeon also weighed in on her personal experiences.

“As a person of color, I want my colleagues to see me as an individual that is no different than them,” Simeon said. “I understand that the responsibility is on me to approach them and behave in a way that will convince them that their expectations of me should not be different than their expectations of my other colleagues.”

The color of someone’s skin should not be a factor involved in work or school. Diversity should be welcomed, not frowned upon. It’s been years since ancestors were fighting for Black peoples’ rights, but Black people today are still constantly fighting.

“Never allow race to become a factor,” police officer Keith Ellis said. “You must maintain a certain level of professionalism no matter what. Be confident in who you are and never feel inferior to any race.”