Black History 2026- Still Getting It Done

During February, people will have the opportunity to be educated, enlightened, and inspired by the contributions of Black Americans in the development of the United States of America.  While Black History is to be recognized and celebrated every day, February, historically, offers even more opportunities to explore the importance of Black Americans in the history of this country.

It is no secret that Black History is the target of a white power strategy to diminish, minimize, and eliminate the significance of Black History in America.  In 2025, the National Park Service was ordered to remove signs and exhibits in U.S. national parks that referenced the history of slavery.  Recently the exhibit titled “Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation” was removed from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.  In 2025, the U.S. government ordered the removal of the memorial to Black American soldiers who fought in Europe during World War II that was located at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands.  No, doubt, the assault on Black History is a clear and present danger.

This is why it is imperative to illuminate examples of how Black folks are still “getting it done” despite the continual attacks.  The fact of the matter is the Black experience in America has been a four hundred year challenge, yet Blacks still stand today with an unwavering resilience against bigotry, hate, and discrimination.

Consider the work of Dr. Ed Hightower, a former school superintendent and college basketball referee.  In 2024, Dr. Hightower initiated the “Venice Revitalization Project” in Venice, Illinois, a community that has lost significant jobs and population over the last 20 years.  A new elementary school opened in 2025, a new grocery store is scheduled to open in 2026, and there are plans for a medical center and affordable housing.  In addition to securing funding for the project, it is reported that Dr. Hightower invested over three million dollars of his own money.

Another example is that of Corenza Townsend, the Chief Administrator Officer at Norton West Louisville Hospital located in Louisville, Kentucky.  Over eight years ago, when she was a nurse manager, she pitched the idea to the powers that be of a new hospital in the predominantly Black West End neighborhood.  The project was approved, and today, she is the chief executive officer of the hospital.

Recently an exhibit titled “The Vanguard: Making and Saving History at HBCUs” opened at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.  The exhibit is a repository for artifacts from HBCUs including Clark University, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University, and Tuskegee University.  This effort to preserve history, and other efforts like it, provides clear proof that Black American History will never be erased.

In conclusion, Black Americans are here.  They have been here a very long time using their intellect, knowledge, creativity, compassion, and the blessings of a Divine Spirit to navigate a society that often has difficulty being respectful and inclusive.  From their first steps on this land, Black Americans have sought freedom, fairness, and equal opportunity.  It has been a four hundred year journey with many trials and tribulations; but also a journey with so many successes and accomplishments.  We must never lose sight of these accomplishments, which brings us back to the importance of Black History.  No other people have suffered as much, yet still rise to the challenge everyday.  That is the history that has to be preserved and appreciated.

Black folks are still “getting it done”.  The History tells us so.

CHANGE IS COMING- KEEP WORKING

November marks one year since the 2024 presidential election.  Many people were disappointed with the results, while others celebrated.  There have been countless analyses by pundits and practitioners who profess to know about all things political as to why the results were as they were.   The simple fact is that there were people who would not suppress their prejudices and biases, and would not vote for a Black woman.

While looking back will not change the results, I invite you to think about the enthusiasm that gripped the nation when Vice President Harris began her campaign.  There was energy in the  people as they considered the possibilities.  Her qualifications were clear, her ideas were diverse, equitable, and inclusive.  A lot of supporters, and even non-supporters could see the basis for a brighter future.  Even the mainstream media, as much as they tried, could not diminish the enthusiasm.  Reflect for a moment on the Democratic National Convention in August, 2024.  People that I talked to said they’d never witnessed such an enthusiastic, entertaining, and inclusive political convention.  Many of those same people were all but certain that on January 20th, 2025, President Harris would be sworn in, and the United States of America would continue the journey towards a more prosperous union for all of its citizens.

It didn’t happen, and the last ten months have been filled with chaos, confusion, corruption, and incompetence.  Prices are higher and opportunities are fewer.  Hard-working people are losing their homes and hard-working farmers are losing their livelihoods.  Again, revisiting the election won’t change any of that, but for just a moment it’s okay to think about where we could be if the results had been different.

So, what do we do?  We keep moving forward.  I hear too many people try to comfort themselves by suggesting, “We only got to put up with this for three more years.” or “Things will change after the mid-term elections.”  In reality, we have no idea what The Universe has planned.  We don’t know when change will come, but the Universe guarantees that it will.  That doesn’t mean you just sit back and wait until it does.  Instead, like-minded people have to continue to work together to create a society where people are kind and considerate to each other; where diversity is understood and valued; where equal opportunity returns to both the C-Suites and the college classrooms; where all children have access to quality education, sufficient nutrition, and effective health care.  The Hope and Faith that was the catalyst for the enthusiasm before the election, has to be the same Hope and Faith that continually regenerates that enthusiasm until the change comes.

The stress that people feel is real.  They wonder if, or when things will get better.  There is a spiritual written by R. Nathaniel Dett that the Elders used to sing named “I’m So Glad”.  The first line of the song is, “I’m so glad that trouble don’t last always.”  The song was written in 1924.  Think about all the trouble that has come and gone since then.    

Change is coming.  The Universe assures it.  Keep working.

Love Ye One Another

A while back, I read an article that discussed which of the Ten Commandments was the hardest for humans to keep.  I believe that’s a valid question.  I suspect that all of us violate two or three or more a day no matter how saintly we might think ourselves to be.

Now, I’m not a religious scholar, nor am I an expert on the Bible.  I don’t quote scripture as part of my general conversation, but I have experienced people who use scripture to validate their comments or behavior.  I’ve also experienced those who use scripture to denounce the behavior or comments of those with whom they disagree.

Well I’m going to take some poetic license and paraphrase what I believe is the simplest, yet most powerful commandment ever given: “Love ye one another, as I have loved you.”(John 13:34)  The Master Spirit asks no more of us than to Love each other.  And yet this seems to be the one commandment we have the most problem living up to.

Our society has become so antagonistic that we have more and more difficulty being civil to one another.  We discriminate based on looks, gender, race, lifestyle, income, education, neighborhood, size, and a whole lot of other variables that make us unique as human beings.  And there are those who use scripture to validate their discrimination.  It would seem to me that the Master Spirit, who has created all of us, would never condone any one of us purposely being cruel to another human being.  Again, the commandment says, “Love ye one another, as I have loved you.”  And if you question whether the Master Spirit loves you, look out the window.

While I’m at it, I’m going to share another scripture that I’ve heard the preacher use.  To paraphrase, the Master Spirit asks, “How can you say you love me whom you’ve never seen, yet hate your brother who you see everyday?”(1John 4:20)  There are those who continually proclaim that they “love the Lord”, yet they badmouth, ridicule, and purposely deceive their neighbors everyday.

Back in 1972, Marvin Gaye sang a song named “God is Love”.  One of the lyrics goes as follows:  “Don’t go and talk about my Father, God is my friend.  He made this world for us to live in, and gave us everything.  And all he asks of us is to give each other love.”  Pretty simple.  The Master Spirit will provide all of your needs.  All you need to do is love one another.  That’s a pretty good deal, if you ask me.

S. A. Miller

Hierarchical Patriarchy, Immoralists, Racists, Sexists, and the 2024 Election

Throughout the Vice President Kamala Harris presidential campaign we heard “save our democracy”.  This call suggested that VP Harris’ opponent was an existential threat to democracy and had to be stopped.  Constituents from various factions: conservatives, liberals, Republicans, Democrats, private sector, public sector, all appeared on countless media shows warning us of the danger.  Well, VP Harris did not win, yet many of the political media pundits were quick to extol the virtues of a democracy that “worked” because “the People” were the final arbitrators in deciding who would be president beginning on January 21, 2025.  If that is the case, then “the People” have a much bigger problem than saving democracy.

Being subservient to a hierarchical patriarchy is not

the only reason VP Harris did not win the election.  

She lost because so many of “the People” are racist, 

sexist, and immoralist.  Be clear these “People” come 

from all cultures, ethnicities, races, genders, ages, and 

political affiliations.  They come from lily white 

suburbs and chocolate inner cities.  It wasn’t the 

rhetoric of the opponent that was persuasive, it was 

too many of “the People” not allowing themselves to 

fill in the bubble for a Black woman.  Because of  that, 

women will have a greater struggle for quality health 

care, Putin will get Ukraine, Netanyahu will get Gaza, 

the rich will get richer, and the middle class will get

poorer.  Unfortunately, many of “the People” reside in 

the middle class.

There, simply, are too many people in this United

 

States society that cannot and will not support a Black 

woman for president.  The experts can analyze all they 

want.  They can say VP Harris should have done this, 

or the Democratic party should have done that.  It 

doesn’t matter unless someone figures how to make 

“the People” less beholden to a  hierarchical 

patriarchy and willing to change their divisive, and to 

some extent, destructive attitudes, and behaviors.  We 

must find a way to resolve the cognitive dissonance 

that “the People” have that won’t allow them to elect a 

Black woman even when the opponent isn’t qualified.  

If the Democratic candidate had been a White male, he 

would be the one entering the White House in January, 

2025 because the character of the Republican 

candidate disqualified him from any serious 

consideration.

Exhaustive analysis of why the 2024 election resulted 

in the way it did can be done from now until Kingdom 

Come.  Some will argue that certain demographics 

didn’t provide the expected support.  Others will 

suggest there just wasn’t enough time for the public to 

learn about VP Harris.  There will also be some who 

will believe that her opponent ran an “excellent” 

campaign.  When the whole story is told somewhere 

down the road, these reasons will only be ancillary.  

The real reason that VP Harris will not be president 

for the next four years is because “the People” could 

not let loose, not even for one day, their prejudice and 

bias.  That their reverence to a hierarchical patriarchy, 

and of their racist and sexist tendencies would not 

allow them to vote for a Black woman.  My, my, what 

a loss.

The Salad Bowl versus The Bowl of Gumbo

We have heard scholars, educators, and politicians refer to the merging of cultures in the United States as a “salad bowl”.  Others have used the term “gumbo” to describe this melding of cultures which is one of the greatest strengths of this democracy.

The recent 2024 national conventions by the Republican and Democratic parties were full of excitement and enthusiasm to nominate their respective presidential candidates, but there was a distinct difference in how that excitement and enthusiasm was presented. 

The Republican convention was more traditional  and reminiscent of conventions of the past.  It was presented as a bowl of salad: a variety of ingredients mixed together, not necessarily chosen to enhance one another’s flavor, but to compliment.  Salads are served cold, and are generally accompanied by dressing to add flavor.

The Democratic convention was fresh, inclusive, and upbeat.  It was presented as a bowl of gumbo: a variety of ingredients, specifically chosen to enhance the flavor of all of the ingredients while simmering in the roux.  A bowl of gumbo is expected to be spicy, flavorful, and hot, and the Democratic convention was all of that.  The speakers were diverse and inclusive.  The topics were varied and touching.  The entertainment was on-point and unprecedented.  All of the elements flowed together, each one enhancing the other.  It was a well-produced, well-organized television show.

So, I suspect there are many who left the Republican convention satisfied by what they experienced, and are still enthused and excited.  For them, the salad bowl experience worked.  I also suspect that there are many who left the Democratic convention full, enthused, and excited from their gumbo experience.  It will be interesting to see which dish prevails.  I’m not sure that a salad can stand up against the spice, heat, and flavor of a bowl of gumbo.

S. A. Miller

8.25.2024