Honoring Black History & Black Futures Month
Today is February 1st , and also the start of Black History and Black Futures Month in the United States. Black History Month was first conceptualized as being a weeklong celebration to encourage the coordinated teaching of Black history in public schools across the United States. Due to protests around racial injustice, inequality, and civil rights in the 1960's, this celebration of Black history evolved from a weeklong celebration to what is now known as Black History Month. Each year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History designates a theme for Black History Month, this year's theme is Resistance. Learn more about Black History Month here!
Black Futures Month is a visionary, forward looking spin on celebrations of Blackness during the month of February. Black Futures Month was established in 2015 by the Movement for Black Lives and it continues to be a call for collectively looking beyond what is easy or comfortable, and instead embracing the hard truths of our history, while simultaneously celebrating the various ways in which Black communities have thrived despite rampant systemic racism in the United States. Black Futures Month is a time to consider and celebrate Black history, as well as a time for folks to collectively dream and envision a better world in which we are all free and self-determined. During Black Futures Month, and always, we encourage folks to seek out stories of resistance and joy that center Black perspectives.
Resources
Watch- Happy Black History AND Black Futures Month! (4 minutes)
Listen- Why Does Black History Month Matter? (5 minutes)
Read - A Book List for Black Dreams and Black Time (10 minutes)
Local Events
33rd Annual Cascade Festival of African Films
Northwest Black Comedy Festival
SCRAP PDX: Black History Month Quilt Project
Word is Bond: Walking Tour Project
Orgs Supporting Black Communities in the PNW
About Cascade AIDS Project
CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. More information can be found at www.capnw.org.