This Black History Month, let’s look at the history of the Black disenfranchisement of a community that built the country we call home.
The struggle and generational trauma passed down in Black Communities started with The Middle Passage. The maritime journey that brought millions of Africans to the Americas was under brutal conditions.
The country was built on the ownership of the people, and the government knew that.
Millions suffered during The Middle Passage, and stories have been passed down through generations, paving the very month we recognize the Black Resistance and protest for equality and equity.
A famous poet, Robert Hayden, wrote the “Middle Passage” in 1962. (Quotes to emphasize the name).
The poem begins by naming the slave ships, which are primarily named Desire, Starlight, and Fortune.
Black People were the cargo. An inhumane act of creating property from humans.
The poem is illuminating. Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
Jesus, Estrella, Esperanza, Mercy:
Sails flashing to the wind like weapons,
sharks following the moils of voices
shouting, and the weals, the whirlpools of the dead.
Deep in the festering hold thy father lies,
of his bones New England pews are made,
those are altar lights that were his eyes.
The beginning of the resistance and fight for true freedom.
The poem begins to describe the testimony of traders and finally The Amistad Rebellion.
The Amistad Rebellion in 1839 was a revolt on board the Amistad. Led by Cinqué. Hayden signifies this rebellion as a historical event for the Black Community. The people who were considered cargo fought back to gain humanity.
Poem Excerpt:
But Cinqué!
A night-smelling flower of the desert,
a song of the sun,
a soul who would not be a slave.
In 1787, the Constitution included the Three-Fifths Compromise. A dehumanized, codified count of enslaved people as only being worth 3/5 of a person for legislative representation.
From there followed decades of struggle.
The Civil War is a turning point in the Black Resistance in America. The war was the deadliest in American history, with roughly 750,000 deaths.
The Underground Railroad operated primarily during the first half of the 19th century, reaching its peak around 1850.
Resistance existed as long as slavery existed in the United States. Organizers began gathering in the late 18th century among Quaker communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
During peak, it is estimated that 1k people per year successfully escaped using the network.
During the fugitive slave act, the federal law required that even in free states, slaves were captured & returned.
New Jersey played a critical role in the Underground Railroad due to its geography. Serving as a vital “bridge” between the slave holding states and the South with the safety of New York City and Canada.
The Greenwich Line crossing was the Delaware Bay, where people landed in Cumberland County or Cape May.
The Jersey shore provided refuge for those moving toward NYC.
Committees called Vigilance were the backbone of the movement, providing food, clothing, and legal services.
Famous conductors include Harriet Tubman (Born in Dorchester County, Maryland), who led 13 trips into Maryland to free enslaved people.
A lesser-known conductor was Abigail Goodwin, a “Birthright Quaker” committed to abolition so strongly that she was eventually ejected from the Orthodox Quaker Meeting in Salem.
Some Quakers felt the Underground Railroad was “too radical” or “broke too many laws.” Abigail disagreed, believing human freedom superseded government decree. Famous conductors include Harriet Tubman (Born in Dorchester County, Maryland), who led 13 trips into Maryland to free enslaved people.
After the war the “Reconstruction” era began from 1865-1877, Black Men saw the right to vote until federal troops withdrew from the south leading to the Jim Crow era a a century of state sanctioned violence which included segregation, disenfranchisement and extrajudicial violence (Lynching, murders, bombings)After the war the “Reconstruction” era began from 1865-1877, Black Men saw the right to vote until federal troops withdrew from the south leading to the Jim Crow era a a century of state sanctioned violence which included segregation, disenfranchisement and extrajudicial violence (Lynching, murders, bombings)
The foundation of Black History Month began in 1926 as “Negro History Week” in February by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
Woodson chose February and the second week to be precise because it encompassed the Birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12th) and Fredrick Douglass (Feb 14th)
Two figures celebrated in Black Communities.The foundation of Black History Month began in 1926 as “Negro History Week” in February by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
Woodson chose February and the second week to be precise because it encompassed the Birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12th) and Fredrick Douglass (Feb 14th)
The following years, before the shift to a month and the recognition nationally in 1976, were superseded by the civil rights movement. A act of resistance which resulted in rebellions fueled by resisters who dignified themselves as humans.
Thousands of people died.
Two notable Figures include Ross Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.
During the 1976 United States Bicentennial, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month for the first time at a federal level.
He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history”.
In 1986, it was codified into law.
Law 99-244During the 1976 United States Bicentennial, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month for the first time at a federal level.
He urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout history”.
Since 2026 would mark the 100th anniversary of Carter G. Woodson’s original 1926 version, it is the first time a president has not recognized the month in decades.
Donald Trump has caused undue harm to the black community by perpetuating stereotypical culture and racism.
We must all fight to continue this pledge to honor the history of Black People in America and end systemic oppression.
