A Celebration of Black History

Marian Wright Edelman, bottom center, is one of the many speakers visiting the Ole Miss campus for Black History Month.

What do you think about when someone mentions February? Most people associate it with Valentine’s Day, chocolate, flowers, boys, and maybe even loneliness. For others it is a month to look forward to the history and respect for the African American culture: Black History Month. Coincidentally this year’s theme, “Black Women in America: Culture and History”, links to March’s celebration of Women’s History Month. This year is also especially significant because it marks the 50^th year anniversary of James Meredith’s integration.

“We are connecting with the Civil Rights Committee as well as the Southern Studies center to really help advocate the magnitude of ’Opening the Closed Society: 50 Years of Integration,’” said Dr. Susan Grayzel, the interim director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women’s and Gender Studies.

Though many events are planned for the month, one that stands out the most features Marian Wright Edelman.

“You will need to read a whole book,” said Grayzel when asked what she believed was Edelman’s most inspiring accomplishment. “She is an important example of how to identify a problem and spend a lifetime changing it. It is a pretty admirable thing.”

In her early career, Edelman attended Spelman College and Yale Law School. She later became the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, as well as directed the NAACP Legal Defense and National Fund office in Jackson and was a counsel for the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C. that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began organizing before his death. She has received over one hundred honorary degrees and many awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award, the nation’s highest civilian award. As the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, Edelman concentrates on being a strong voice for children and families.

“It is a pretty admirable thing” said Grayzel. “Continuing national, political and institutionalized justice.”

The celebration of recognition of all other influential people in society, including Edelman, began in 1926. The creator, historian Carter G. Woodson, came up with the holiday with the dream that it would eventually end when black history played a key role in American history.

“I have never really thought of black history being separate from American history,” said sophomore Caroline Purcell. “I know it has always been an issue, but we grow up learning about influential African Americans and don’t think much of it. Black History Month is a nice way to be reminded of their impact.”

Black History Month events have been well on their way, beginning February 1^st and ending March 7^th. Marian Wright Edelman will be speaking at the Gertrude C. Ford Center on February 21^st on race, gender and rights. For a full calendar of events look on bulletin boards around campus or visit the Sarah Isom Center for Women’s and Gender Studies for a pamphlet.