A Note that WNPF Board Member, Alma Busby-Williams, shared during Black History Month 2023:
Growing up, I remember the importance and excitement of Black History Month. There were speeches to be made in church and school, and each year suggesting to my elementary school teacher that our class sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” instead of the national anthem. When I raised my own kids, there were trips to museums in Oakland and the south, noting and simply making sure they knew the contributions to American History by Black people.
When they were grown, and I grew tired of the same stories about the same heroes/heroines, we talked less about Black History Month, and more about the contributions of our ancestors — I was wary about tokenization. And, then when you think you know so much, you are always reminded — when open — of what you don’t know.
While leading an Outdoor Afro-Seattle event at North Cascades National Park, and struggling to fulfill the requirement of integrating Black History into our monthly event, I was surprised to learn about an important Black man. This event was led by my son, Ranger Chris Williams, who spoke about George Holmes.
While hiking Cascade Pass, we learned that George Holmes was the only Black miner in the Skagit area, where I now work, and how he built his cabin on Ruby Creek. George was born an enslaved man, in Virginia. He was a mason, and possibly the only Black prospector in the area. He was known to have preferred his solitude. I was able to picture George, in his fullness and freedom, living in the beautiful area we were hiking, led by another Black man who preferred his own solitude.
It is never about tokenization because I am always reminded that there are contributions of Black people whose stories I have yet to know about, but should keep seeking.
Black History Month is a special time set aside to acknowledge, to reflect on, and to be inspired by the history, culture, and contributions of Black Americans to our country and to the world.
Though the official designation by the United States Congress of February as Black History Month took place in 1986, the idea had its inception in 1926, thanks to the efforts of American author, journalist, and historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson. February was chosen because the two great Americans and symbols of freedom Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were born on this month.
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National parks play a fundamental role in highlighting, preserving, and documenting the historical journey, the achievements, and the suffering and resilience of African Americans. More than a dozen national historic sites and monuments named after individuals and events directly associated with Black History, along with many other sites within the national park system with similarly tangible connections remind us how intimately intertwined the African American journey is with this nation’s history.
Washington’s National Park Fund proudly joins the National Park Service and our state’s three largest national parks in celebrating Black History Month.
For a short inspirational moment, we recommend the outstanding National Park Service-produced video “Twenty & Odd”, which combines thoughtfully curated images with audio of “Still I Rise” by poet laureate and civil rights leader Dr. Maya Angelou, at nps.gov/subjects/africanamericanheritage/twenty-and-odd.htm.
For more, check out these resources:
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Cover photo: Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, located in Maryland, is one of many national parks named in honor of African Americans. Photo courtesy of NPS.