KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Each year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) selects a theme for Black History Month.
The 2023 theme Black Resistance highlights the “institutions and affiliations [that] have lobbied, litigated, legislated, protested and achieved success.”
To resist means to refuse to comply, to challenge the system.
“By resisting, Black people have achieved triumphs, successes, and progress as seen in the end of chattel slavery, dismantling of Jim and Jane Crow segregation in the South, increased political representation at all levels of government, desegregation of educational institutions, the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in DC and increased and diverse representation of Black experiences in media,” according to ASALH.
The association says the meaningful, lasting change created through action such as protests, faith, education, health care, sports, music and politics “cannot be understated.”
And while individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ida B. Wells, Jackie Robinson, Carter G. Woodson and Billie Holiday are well known for the resistance they inspired, community members in the Kansas City area have been equally influential.
To celebrate what Black resistance means to the community, KSHB 41 is calling on KC to share their definitions throughout Black History Month. To participate, film a response of what Black resistance means to you and submit it ONLINE HERE.
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