Ready or Not - February is Here!
Is it just me or did January fly by? I’m not surprised anymore by how quickly time goes. I jokingly (or not so much) say that I should leave the holiday decorations out because it’ll be that time of year again in the blink of an eye. As much as I love a good snow storm, I really wish that we could fast forward to beautiful spring days. Let’s checkout what’s on this month’s calendar.
Black History Month
Do you know the origins or the objective of BHM? It was the brainchild of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a prominent, Harvard educated, historian, author, and journalist that is often described as the “father of black history”. It began as Black History Week in February 1926. He states,
“It is not so much a Negro History Week as it is a History Week. We should emphasise not Negro History, but the Negro in History. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hatred and religious prejudice”.
It was the black students and educators of Kent State University that celebrated it for the entire month. Finally, President Gerald Ford in 1976 officially marked February as Black History Month.
I must admit that I have not done enough to celebrate BHM since leaving school. I studied Africana Studies in graduate school at Clark Atlanta University, an HBCU (historically black college/university) therefore black history was at the forefront of my daily life back then. Now as a working mom, unfortunately it has fallen by the wayside. I will make a conscious effort to learn & remind myself of the unknown or forgotten aspects of my history and culture. Atlanta is the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and was the headquarters of the civil rights movement. The King Center and the Atlanta History Center are great resources that I intend to visit this month in observation of BHM.
Presidents Day
Do you know the origin or the objective of Presidents Day? I think everyone appreciates that it is a federal holiday that grants most US workers a 3-day weekend (not me because I work in aviation) but it began as a celebration of the birthday of the nation’s first president, George Washington. It became a national holiday in 1885. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 combined the observation of Washington and Lincoln’s birthday. Instead of having federal holidays for each president, we celebrate all of them on President’s Day, which falls on the third Monday of every February.
I usually forget about Presidents Day because as I mentioned before, I don’t get the holiday off. I’m always reminded of it when I insist my son go to bed at a reasonable hour on Sunday night to prepare for school that Monday only to be told that school is closed. In fact, that’s how I find out about most holiday weekends these days. Atlanta is home to the Carter Center, President Jimmy Carter’s presidential library. I’ve been only once or twice for events hosted there. Perhaps I will take a more in depth tour this President’s Day.
Valentine’s Day
Let’s not forget everyone’s favorite February holiday - Valentine’s Day! According to Wikipedia it began as “a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine”. I personally like the name Feast of Saint Valentine. It makes it sound less of a gimmick to me. It is the day for grand displays of one’s romantic affections.
I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day mostly because it feels inauthentic. Why should I feel special if everyone is getting roses and chocolates? I’ve never been one for grand public displays of anything tbh. I will still adorn myself for the holiday although I don’t love it. I will still get some sort of VDay nail design and will do a pink or red makeup look. We may or may not go out to dinner but I don’t expect a gift. Having said that, if you love VDay, show up & show out! Enjoy the day. Do you have any plans for any of these days/events this month?