For as long as just about any of us can remember, February has always been Black History Month.
But in the wake of all that has happened in the past year, and even in the past month, clearly this year’s Black History Month is different.
In 2020, we saw egregious acts of injustice and murder committed against Black bodies, and we also saw an incredibly heightened level of protest, discussion and learning worldwide. You could not have slipped through 2020 without hearing the names of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor or hearing phrases like “Black Lives Matter.” What we saw last year is now and forever indelibly etched in our Nation’s history. Black History is American History.
Every day we create history, and with Black History Month in full effect, now is a paramount time to be on the right side of it. The news of parents seeking to opt out of black history is a recent and troubling example of being on the wrong side. There are many ways to be on the right side, but they all require commitment to the goals of eliminating systemic racism and doing it together.
This past summer, we saw a lot of examples of people working together, as there were numerous peaceful Black Lives Matter protests throughout the state and country. We saw people of all races, ethnicities, statuses, religions, sexualities and genders walking side by side (or six feet apart) in support of racial justice. That level of solidarity is powerful, and it’s exactly what we need in this ongoing fight, not only amongst everyday Utahns, but also those who hold positions of power.
That’s why we, the first Ghanaian-American student body president at the University of Utah, Ephraim Kum, and Utah state Sen. Derek Kitchen, decided to co-write this letter.
We hold positions of leadership in our community. If we are to acknowledge and eliminate systemic racism and injustice in the 21st century, the task at hand is to cultivate solidarity among all marginalized groups. Dedication is required from all of us, and we must be open to the reality of those worlds that are not our own.
We will never have the same lived experience, but we all have the opportunity to fall closer into harmony, as we are all in this thrust of life together. For it is only when we realize that we need each other that we can cease the fruitless effort of trying to climb over one another.
The most sustainable way to be on the right side of history is to learn from it. We all have much that we can learn, but it is particularly important that those who have privilege step up and make a special effort in expanding their understanding.
If we are serious about bending our world toward a better version of itself, towards righteousness and justice, then learning is essential. The responsibility of education should fall upon those who need to learn and upon those who are desirous to teach. White people should not force their Black friend, neighbor or coworker to teach them about the racial disparities they or others face. There are many books, films and resources created by people whose life’s work is educating others, and you can find a starter list in this article.
This calls to mind a quote from James Baldwin in “Nobody Knows My Name:”
“There is never a time in the future in which we will work out our salvation. The challenge is in the moment, the time is always now.”
Derek Kitchen and Ephraim Kum
Derek Kitchen, D-Salt Lake City, represents District 2 in the Utah Senate.
Ephraim Kum is president of the Associated Students of the University of Utah.