Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in celebration of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
“Stop thinking about the damn wall! There is no wall. There are only bricks. Your job is to lay this brick perfectly. Then move on to the next brick. Then lay that brick perfectly. Then the next one. Don’t be worrying about no wall. Your only concern is the one brick.”
—Will Smith
I watch a lot of HGTV for a person who can barely (and I mean barely) put together a small table from IKEA. I’m fascinated by those who can walk into a space and bring their vision to life — building, renovating, and creating a place for people to truly call home.
An old parable tells us that our body is a temple, and through the art of training and teaching, Di’Andre Campbell is not only a master builder but also a skilled renovator of the human condition.
Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in celebration of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
“As Black women, we’re always given these seemingly devastating experiences — experiences that could absolutely break us. But what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly. What we do as Black women is take the worst situations and create from that point.”
—Viola Davis
Here’s to the unsung heroes, the ones who never desire the spotlight, because the work they do comes from something deep inside of them. The ones who you interact with every day — at the coffee shop, at the bodega, and in the office space. Yet for the ones who’ve carved out space where they typically aren’t seen — the “Hidden Figures,” the ones quietly demanding equity and inclusion with their every action — those heroes who don’t seek the light, ironically, become the light.
Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in celebration of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
“Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.”
—Shonda Rhimes
Only those who are brave enough to chase their dreams are bold enough to catch them. The act of turning a dream into a plan, a plan into an action, and that action into an accomplishment is what truly defines “success.” The person that does that over and over again, across various disciplines, is more than just a dreamer — they are an agent of change and proof of possibility.
Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in celebration of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
“I tell my students, ‘When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else. This is not just a grab-bag candy game.”
—Toni Morrison
Black History is rooted deeply in the traditions of the African Diaspora, and those roots branch into so much of our collective resilience, creativity, and strength. The nourishment to those roots flows through the honoring and respecting of children and elders, those who offer hope for a new day, and those who’ve tilled the soil to make the day possible.
Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in celebration of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
“I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.”
—Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
Many of today’s most successful people opine about hard work, grinding, or as the kids say nowadays, “getting it out da mud!”
Some of the most successful of all will tell you that they are humble at their heights because they know what it means to truly climb the ladder — that the years of hard work and faith have helped them to more fully know themselves.
Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in celebration of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people shaping the future.
The power of “I AM” is indeed amazing. I often wonder why that isn’t one of the first principles we teach, as knowledge of self is probably the greatest and longest lesson we will ever embark upon. One of my greatest joys is surprising people each year, penning the Black History Today series and continuing to recognize everyday heroes and historymakers who shape our communities.
On Wednesday evening, Feb. 17, the Academy for Creating Excellence (ACE) hosted their second installment of the Black Educators Cafe, a series dedicated to helping Black people in the education field find community and support.
In August of 2020, ACE received a grant from the City of Seattle as part of an initiative to invest in youth mentorship and diversity programs. By partnering with the City’s Department of Education and Early Learning, ACE has been able to expand its reach beyond students and has begun working with Black educators as well.
These events were created to provide a safe space for Black educators, providing a virtual place where they can discuss issues that their Black students face and also their experiences working in a predominantly white field.
I loathe funerals. I suppose most people do. Yet, I despise them for different reasons than most would imagine. I hate funerals because I always wonder how glorious and useful the words, sentiments, and expressions of love and gratitude would be to the departed (and those giving them) if they were around to hear and feel them.
