Commemorating Black History Month At Weequahic High School

NEWARK, NJ-On Friday, Feb. 7, at 8:35 a.m., Weequahic High school in Newark commemorated Black History Month with the raising of the Black Liberation Flag.

The ceremony entailed the following: 1) Explain the significance of the Black Liberation flag, 2) Pour libation to the ancestors, 3) Sing the Black National Anthem, 4) Perform culturally conscious Poetry, and 5) End the program with seven Harambee (Kiswahili for people pulling together).

The colors of the Black Liberation Flag are red, black and green. Red represents the shedding of the innocent blood of Black people. Black represents Black people all over the planet. Green represents mother Afrika.

The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, one of world's most respected Black leaders of 20th Century, created the Black Liberation Flag in the 1920's to give Black people a racial unifying identity in the Afrikan diaspora.

The raising of the Black Liberation Flag was facilitated by history teacher Bashir Muhammad Akinyele. After the the raising of the Black Liberation flag, our Dance teacher, Ms Imani Carter, had the students perform an Afrkan dance routine. All Friday's Black History Month programming took place during convocation in the gym. All students and staff wore all Black as a symbol of Umoja (Kiswahili word for unity) with all Black people.

For 17 years, Weequahic High School has commemorated Black History Month with the raising of the Black liberation. The current Principal of the school is respected Newark native Andre Hollis.

The Black History Month Committee was created by history teachers to organize programs and activities for February's Black History Month and for the school year at Weequahic High School for students and the community.

Bashir Muhammad Akinyele, the Chairperson of the Black History Month committee and a history teacher at Weequahic High School, says, "Black History Month must be a time to inspire people of all walks of life to seriously study the great accomplishments and contributions people of Afrikan descent made to the World!"

Hotep (Peace)!!!

-Bashir Muhammad Akinyele is a History Teacher, Black Studies Teacher, Community Activist, Chairperson of Weequahic High School's Black History Month Committee in Newark, Nj, commentary writer, and Co-Producer and Co-Host of the All Politics Are Local, the number #1 political Hip Hip radio show in America. I can be reached at (bashir.akinyele@gmail.com).
Note: Spelling Afrika with a k is not a typo. Using the k in Afrika is the Kiswahili way of writing Africa. Kiswahili is a Pan -Afrikan language. It is spoken in many countries in Afrika. Kiswahili is the language used in Kwanzaa. The holiday of Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January
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