Black History Month 2023 | St. Augustine Catholic Church in Washington, DC, Mother Church of Black Catholics in the Nation's Capital.

Black History Month 2023

Black History is American History

The theme for Black History Month 2023 is Black Resistance. To honor the legacy of Black Resistance, we offer a calendar of events to guide you as you celebrate each day in February.
List View
Categories
 Birthdays
 Deaths
 General
 Videos or Online Events
< February 2023 >
MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
    1Langston Hughes' BirthdayLangston Hughes' BirthdayLangston Hughes was born February 1, 1901, in Joplin, Missouri. Hughes was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance, known for his portrayal of Black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. His poem “Let America Be America Again” is still relevant today. Read the poem then read a biography of Langston Hughes. 2Remember the Greensboro Sit-InsRemember the Greensboro Sit-InsIn February 1960, four Black college freshmen began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro North Carolina. More supporters joined this direct action each week, and sit-ins spread to more than 70 cities. The mass movement led to the creation of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Read about the youth-led sit-in movement and SNCC: https://snccdigital.org/events/sit-ins-greensboro/ 3Sr. Anita Baird, DHM SpeaksSr. Anita Baird, DHM SpeaksDuring Catholic Sisters Week 2021, Sr. Anita Baird, DHM spoke to the NETWORK community about the racism Black women religious have faced, as well as the contributions that they have made to our Church and our nation, from 1829 to today. Watch Sr. Anita's remarks 4Rosa Parks' BirthdayRosa Parks' Birthday1913, Rosa Parks was born. Learn about her lifetime of activism, the opposition she encountered, and her commitment to Black liberation. 5Trayvon Martin's BirthdayTrayvon Martin's BirthdayBlack Lives Matter movement co-founder, Patrice Cullors, reflects on the continued fight against white supremacy and white nationalism on Trayvon Martin's birthday (the 28th).
6Deacon Sia Kamara on the "Just Politics" PodcastDeacon Sia Kamara on the "Just Politics" PodcastDeacon Sia Kamara, Civil Rights-Era activists, early education educator, and advocate for justice is featured on the "Just Politics" podcast. 7Early Voices for ReparationsEarly Voices for ReparationsCallie House and Audley Moore are considered "the first architects of reparations." Read more about these Black pioneers for justice. 8Online Event: The Four Harriets of HistoryOnline Event: The Four Harriets of HistoryJoin the National Constitution Center on YouTube at 12:00 PM Eastern for a discussion on Harriet Robinson Scott, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Jacobs, and Harriet Beecher Stowe—women who confronted slavery through lawsuits, literature, and action. 9YouTube Event: Liberation TheologyYouTube Event: Liberation TheologyJoin the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) live at 7:00 PM Eastern for "Call & Response: Liberation Theology, Resistance and The Black Church" on YouTube. 10Civil Rights Act of 1964Civil Rights Act of 1964The United States House of Representatives passed The Civil Rights Act of 1964 after 70 days of debate. The bill was later signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2. Learn more from the Library of Congress. 11Dr. Tia Noelle PrattDr. Tia Noelle PrattIn November 2021, Dr. Tia Noelle Pratt spoke with NETWORK Deputy Executive Director and Chief Equity Officer Joan F. Neal about her Black Catholic Syllabus. Dr. Pratt, a sociologist of religion, examines the ways in which systemic racism impacts religion. Watch the conversation. 12The NAACP Was FoundedThe NAACP Was FoundedThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the country's largest and oldest civil rights organization, was established on this day in 1909 in response to a race riot in Springfield, Illinois by white and Black activists in New York City.
13Diane Nash and Fellow Activists begin Nashville Sit-InsDiane Nash and Fellow Activists begin Nashville Sit-InsDiane Nash and hundreds of other students from Nashville’s four Black colleges—Fisk University, Tennessee State, Meharry Medical, and the Baptist Seminary—began a series of sit-ins to challenge racial segregation at Nashville lunch counters. Diane Nash emerged as a Civil Rights Era leader. Nita Clarke reflects on Nash’s activism in a blog post. 14Frederick Douglass' Chosen BirthdayFrederick Douglass' Chosen BirthdayWriter, orator, and abolitionist Frederick Douglass did not know his exact birth date, so he chose to celebrate on February 14. At an event in 1888, Douglass remarked, “Birthdays belong to free institutions. We, in the South, never knew them.” Tour Frederick Douglass’ home through the National Parks Service Virtual Museum Exhibit. 15The Congressional Black CaucusThe Congressional Black CaucusExplore the history of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). In January, when swearing in the largest ever class of the CBC, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge remarked, “For more than 50 years, the Congressional Black Caucus has been the conscience of the Congress, the moral center that ensures that the people in communities whose blood, sweat and tears built this country are never forgotten by this storied institution.” Learn more. 16Fannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Farm CooperativeFannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Farm CooperativeWatch a two-and-a-half-minute video about Fannie Lou Hamer, one of Sojourners’ “Phenomenal Women of Black History,” While visiting Sojourners, read their features on other phenomenal women, including Shirley Chisholm, Pauli Murray, Alicia Garza, and more. 17"Birth of a Movement" Published"Birth of a Movement" PublishedOlga Segura is a Dominican writer who has covered the Black Lives Matter movement through a Catholic lens, for years. Her book “Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church,” a stirring call to action for all people of faith, was published on this date in 2021. Follow Olga Segura on Twitter. 18Remember Jimmie Lee JacksonRemember Jimmie Lee JacksonAlabama 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson, a 26-year-old man, was shot twice by James Fowler, a white state trooper after a peaceful civil rights protest in Mobile. Jackson died eight days later. Learn more at the Equal Justice Initiative's History of Racial Injustice calendar. 19The Tuskegee AirmenThe Tuskegee Airmen1942, the 100th Fighter Squadron, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen, was activated. They were the first African American soldiers to fly during World War II.
20Celebrate Thurgood MarshallCelebrate Thurgood MarshallCelebrate the legacy of Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights lawyer who became the nation's first Black United States Supreme Court Justice. Read about Thurgood Marshall’s life and work from the NAACP. 21Rep. John Lewis's BirthdayRep. John Lewis's Birthday1940, The late Congressman John Lewis was born in Troy, Alabama. For Black History Month 2022, Congresswoman Barbara Lee reflected on serving in Congress with Congressman Lewis for NETWORK. She wrote, “John Lewis got involved, courageously pursued justice, and paid the price with his blood and his freedom...Now, we are all called to honor his legacy and protect voting rights to ensure his struggle was not in vain.” 22Frances Ellen Watkins Harper DiesFrances Ellen Watkins Harper Dies1911, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a great African American poet, author, abolitionist and suffragist, died at age 85. Harper along with many great abolitionist including Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Henry Highland Garnet, Susan B. Anthony and others were members of the American Anti-Slavery Society. 23W.E.B. Du Bois' BirthdayW.E.B. Du Bois' Birthday1868, Black activist, writer, and historian W.E.B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. W.E.B. Du Bois was a leading thinker on race and society, with works that included 16 nonfiction works, five novels, two autobiographies and countless articles and essays. Read a 2018 Washington Post Op-ed by author, historian, and creator of the #CharlestonSyllabus, Chad Williams, who reflects on how W.E.B. Du Bois's wisdom is relevant in today's struggle to preserveAmerican democracy. 24AME Bishop Daniel A. Payne’s BirthdayAME Bishop Daniel A. Payne’s Birthday1811, Bishop Payne was born a free man in Charleston, South Carolina. An important figure in the history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Read about Bishop Payne, and other important African American faith leaders, in the PBS series “This Far by Faith.” 25Historic SCOTUS NominationHistoric SCOTUS Nomination2022, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson becomes the first Black woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Joe Biden. 26Trayvon Martin’s DeathTrayvon Martin’s Death2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was fatally shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon’s killing sparked the Black Lives Matter Movement. Learn more in “Rest In Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin” written by Trayvon’s parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin.
27Anna Julia Haywood Cooper DiesAnna Julia Haywood Cooper Dies1964, Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, one of the most prominent African American scholars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, died in Washington, DC at the age of 105. Read about Anna Julia Haywood Cooper’s visionary and faith-filled work for justice. 28Watch Heather McGee on The Daily ShowWatch Heather McGee on The Daily Show2021, Heather McGee published “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.” Watch Heather McGee speak with Trevor Noah about the cost of racism for all of our communities and how we can unlock “solidarity dividends” by coming together across race. In February 2021, Heather McGee published “The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.” Watch Heather McGee speak with Trevor Noah about the cost of racism for all of our communities and how we can unlock “solidarity dividends” by coming together across race. Buy or rent “The Sum of Us” from your local library.          
National Black Sisters Quote Joan (371× 660 px) (1)

Black history is American history. Some state politicians, public school boards, and Members of Congress try to divide us by saying Black history, stories, and experiences do not matter. Their racist ideas aim to keep people in our country from living in the blessed light of truth. We can demand that all of our stories are told.

Civil rights activists and educators gained equal access to education in this country in challenging times, and it can be done again. Together, by learning the scientific discoveries, literature, activism, and more of Black men and women, we will build an inclusive, multi-racial democracy where everyone can thrive.

Each November, the Catholic Church honors Black lives, achievements, and history. In November 2022, NETWORK featured the voices of Black Catholic Sisters (nuns). Read their reflections here.

Since African enslavement in the colonies, Blacks in America have faced racial violence, terror and abuse from state-actors and private citizens. Sadly, sometimes, there are violent incidents predicated by race that make national headlines like the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, TN in January 2023.

Read the National Black Sisters’ Conference statement about Tyre’s killing here. You can find NETWORK’s lament for Tyre’s death here.

Black History Month 2023 | St. Augustine Catholic Church in Washington, DC, Mother Church of Black Catholics in the Nation's Capital.We are called to stand together as one in God’s beloved community. This Black History Month, we hope you can use the calendar to learn more about Black people in our country. Challenge yourself to learn something new every day! Check out a book about a woman you are unfamiliar with, like Audley Moore featured on February 7.

Reflect on the joy that Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, must have felt on his birthday (February 5). Say a prayer for them, and for the soul of their boy, as they mark the day he was murdered (February 26).

Attend a Black Catholic church or gospel mass at a traditional mass (pictured above is St. Augustine Catholic Church, the Mother Church of Black Catholics in Washington, DC). If you don’t have a Black Catholic church nearby, visit a service at another Black congregation near you. 

Learn More About Black History and Racial Justice

Watch NETWORK’s Ash Wednesday Prayer Service: Lent and Reparations (30 minute video)
The Deep Need for Reparatory Justice NETWORK podcast (40 minutes)
Cornel West and Robert George on Black history, resistance and joy America Magazine podcast
An Interview with Fr. Chris Kellerman about his book,All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church