Importance of Black History Month

Celebrating Black History month in February is an opportunity to learn of the struggles and achievements of African Americans, the largest racial minority in the US. Many years ago, a wise man once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” This wise man was a true hero who lost his life trying to better the lives of African Americans. Just like other great heroes such as Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King challenged racism and changed the ways we once perceived it to be. But even before the rise of Martin Luther King, Holy Prophet Muhammad challenged racism. In his farewell sermon, the Prophet Muhammad said: “Allah has made you brethren one to another, so be not divided. An Arab has no preference over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab; nor is a white one to be preferred to a dark one, nor a dark one to a white one.”

If you take a step back today, you will realize that many have failed to realize the significance of the words spoken by great leaders. The existence of different races and ethnicities is in fact a means of learning from each other. It is realizing the similarities that will unite us. This is the kind of message our leaders wanted us to understand and pursue.