Resource Development Blog: Black History is the Future
By: Kimberly Bell, Manager of Donor Relations

The cultural milieu of the history of the City of Mobile is one that is deeply intertwined with Black History. In the present time, we have seen an exceptionally fervent effort to carry on the legacy of black history and the important accomplishments of our ancestors. One way this is being accomplished is by establishing, preserving, and maintaining black historical heritage sites and artifacts relative to the history of our city and the very core of our being.

As I reflect on Black History Month, I think about the future. James Baldwin, writer and civil rights activist, once said, “The future of the [black people] in this country is precisely as dark or as bright as the future of this country.” I take this to mean that both Black history and Black futures belong to all of us. It is up to everyone, not just African-Americans to look for ways to actively commemorate the positive culture, heritage, and traditions of the past in order to make all of our futures as bright as possible.

We as a society must be ever cognizant of the past in order to affect change in the future. We must be diligent in our quest for both equality and equity, and acknowledge that while we have come so far, there is still a way to go on the road to equality in our society. We must all be willing to join as one to help hasten us to the place where, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we can all “…not be judged by the color of [our] skin but by the content of [our] character”. In doing that, we can guarantee a healthy and hopeful society for all generations to come.

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