Black History Month Quotes

“There are hundreds of political prisoners right now in America’s jails who were so taken by Malcolm [X’s} spirit that they became warriors and the powers that be understood them as warriors. They knew that a lot of these other middle-class [black] leaders were not warriors; they were professionals; they were careerists. But these warriors had callings, and they have paid an incalculable and immeasurable price in those cells.”

“If the only time you think of me as a scientist is during Black History Month, then I must not be doing my job as a scientist.”

“If you only think of me during Black History Month, I must be failing as an educator and as an astrophysicist.”

“Too often, Black History Month is a once a year tick box.”

“During Black History Month, I'm reminded yet again of the ways that the struggle for civil rights is interwoven with the struggle for workers' rights.”

“You know, when you've idolized something, you put it on a shelf, lift it up, and when King Day comes out, you pull it out and show it. Or when Black History Month comes out, you show it, or when April 4th or other times, you show it. But, you see, Dad wouldn't want us to idolize.”

“The leaders and followers of the Harlem Renaissance were every bit as intent on using Black culture to help make the United States a more functional democracy as they were on employing Black culture to 'vindicate' Black people.”

“I love Black History Month and celebrating my ancestral roots, but not just my blackness, which is so beautiful. But my Tahitian and my Italian - everything that makes me, me.”

“I grew up watching people and companies commercialize Black History Month. I watched old McDonald's commercials, and they'd blacken up the commercials for 28 days then go back to normal in March. It got annoying to me.”

“When female stories are muted, we are teaching our kids that their dignity is second class and the historical accounts of their lives [are] less relevant. This lowered value carries over when women face sexual objectification and systemic brutalization from inside and outside the community.”

“For children, diversity needs to be real and not merely relegated to learning the names of the usual suspects during Black History Month or enjoying south-of-the-border cuisine on Cinco de Mayo. It means talking to and spending time with kids not like them so that they may discover those kids are in fact just like them.”

“During Black History Month, we not only should celebrate those who have made North Carolina a better place to live for everyone, but we should also acknowledge the deep sacrifices people made to get us to where we are now.”

“Whether we consider hip-hop as an evolved manifestation of the Harlem Renaissance or something completely new under the sun, it clearly has moved beyond the stage of just entertaining lives to that of informing and empowering lives.”

“I'm not quite sure what freedom is, but i know damn well what it ain't. How have we gotten so silly, i wonder.”

“Jesus' birthday is commercialized, so of course, Black History Month is commercialized.”

“Black History Month is fine, but we need more months of the year to celebrate all the people on this earth. After all, we're all creatures of the same God.”

“As we celebrate Black History Month we should be grateful for the achievements they made and inspired by their legacies to continue their work.”

“History, too, has a penchant for giving birth to itself over and over again, and those whom it appoints agents of change and progress do not always accept their destinies willingly.”

“I don't want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.”

“Black History Month is a poignant time for the entire country, but particularly the African American community.”