What Black History Month Means to Eleese Sealy
What has Black History Month meant to you in the past?
Black History Month is a continuous reminder of how far Black people have come and how they will continue to strive for excellence. It gives both me as a Black person and people of other ethnicities, a massive opportunity to learn more about the history of my people, to hear traditional music and to attend enriching events. The month offers a cornucopia of new books, plays, and lectures. It is a continuous reminder of how resilient Black people are in the face of adversity — hearing different stories and the barriers that Black people have overcome and will continue to overcome.
Who are Black figures you look up to or inspire you? Why?
Maya Angelou is one of my all-time favorite writers and poets. Her poems and sayings have resonated through my life and have sometimes brought me to tears. Her words are always a source of motivation especially during difficult times like this pandemic. She was a continuous reminder of the beauty within humanity even though the world is surrounded by hatred and anger. My favorite poem of Mrs. Angelou’s is about potential: “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” I truly believe she can be considered an inspiration to all.
What does Black History Month mean to you today?
Black History Month is a time for highlighting the many accomplishments and contributions that African Americans have made to our country’s scientific, educational, and social justice fabric. It is unfortunate that we only recognize African Americans’ contributions once a year in February during Black History Month. With so many decisions being made based on a person’s race or skin colour and without regard to their character’s content and the importance of their work. Black History Month provides an opportunity to salute the many accomplishments of African Americans that often go unnoticed. It is also a month where Black people can gain comfort from one another, and many of us have similar experiences. Most importantly, Black history month is where we can build new friendships with other Black people we would have never met otherwise.
Where do you see Black History Month or Black History moving forward in the future?
The future of Black History Month needs to be on a bigger scale, there needs to be other actors such as other minorities groups who should participate and spread the diversity of Black culture and history. I believe in the future it will be mandatory for students to learn about the history of Black Canadians.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us or share?
I believe that Alberta’s university should invest more into their Black students and provide a class that can teach them of their Black history. The University of Alberta should also participate in providing a discussion that is often difficult to have, by working towards implementing anti-racist workshops that should be mandatory before graduating. This is first to have both professors and students, checking both their conscious and unconscious bias. It can also allow students to understand other cultures and explore ethnicity beyond what is familiar to them. In a small way it was moving beyond a person’s comfort zone and opening up the circle to include rather than exclude. I feel everyone should learn about Black History because we can’t move on as a society if you do not. You cannot just limit it to one month, but it is significant for the African American race to be recognized throughout the year along with this month.
Author bio: Eleese Sealy is a fourth year Arts student, pursuing a BA Criminology degree. She is also a member of the University of Alberta’s Black Students’ Association (UABSA) executive as the event coordinator. You can read more from Eleese as she writes the UABSA Guest Column for The Gateway. She also volunteers her time as a coordinator on the ACB Caucus of the Ribbon Rouge Foundation, a grassroots organization that serves African, Caribbean and Black people in Alberta and focuses on health equity and facilitates social justice through the Arts.
