Public Employee Press

25 years of Black History Month

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Culture is the collective remembrance of history. History is the documentation of culture and memory.

When slavery’s sledgehammer smashed the cultures of kidnapped Africans, the survivors gathered the remains —the shards and fragments, the recollections and dreams, the sounds and smells, the gestures and traditions — to build anew a collective history of Africans in America.

On Feb. 1, District Council 37 honored that indel­ible spirit and culture and welcomed over 200 members, retirees and representatives of the United Negro College Fund as special guests to its 25th annual celebration of Black History Month.

“Celebrating Black History Month gives us a chance to reflect on the struggle and what we as individuals are doing to carry on the legacy ofDr. King and the civil rights movement,” saidDC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “We live the civil rights struggle every day that we represent the members, and that is a privilege.”

As part of the occasion, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a proclamation honoring DC 37’s Black History Committee for promoting black history and culture for 25 years. DC 37 has celebrated Black History Month for the past 26 years, missing only one occasion — February 2002, after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks forced the union from its home, which is one block from the disaster site.

From slavery to sit-ins
“Each time I think about it, it brings tears to my eyes. This is really a heartwarming celebration,” said Sherwyn Britton, BHC co-chair and division director. Britton and Local 420’s Beryl Major are the only two original BHC members still active with the committee.

“The idea of celebrating black history was in the air and on the minds of several employees back in 1980, but Jaribu Hill, a staffer who was a real social activist, brought it to the table,” Major said. “The then-Executive Director Stanley Hill loved the idea.”

DC 37 had a longstanding activist record in the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements and other social causes, so it was a natural progression to have a month-long commemoration of black history.
The mission was clear from its inception: Black History Month would always educate the membership about the history, the struggle, the progress, and the culture of African Americans. To uplift by restoring a sense of pride and telling the history before slavery and after the sit-ins. To honor the contributions Africans and their descendents made as laborers, inventors, achievers and innovators to enrich this nation. Family Day would include the youth, who will become tomorrow’s leaders, and give them a knowledge of self, identity, and history.

“As years went by locals began to sponsor and organize events,” Major said, “and things really took off.” The BHC and locals embraced the whole African Diaspora, including brothers and sisters from South American, Caribbean, European and African nations.

Over the years Black History events have featured special guest speakers like the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Professor Angela Davis, U.S. Congress Member John Lewis, noted artists and entertainers, dance troupes, exceptional films, the unveiling of the Paul Robeson Black Heritage Series U.S. postage stamp, and more.

“Black History Month creates an opportunity to bring members together at free events with festivities and refreshments,” Major said. “It’s a chance at community building beyond the bread-and-butter issues, and that’s what makes a union strong.”