exploring the news & events that connect us all
As individuals, we've been urged to do our bit to help combat climate change. By adjusting our everyday habits to use less plastic, reduce food waste and try out cleaner/greener energy, for example; we can become part of the solution. But are these actions enough?
The search to discover the truth about Indigenous children who never made it home from Indian Residential Schools in Canada continues. As more unmarked graves of their young relatives are discovered, First Nation communities are at the forefront of pushing for accountability and justice.
During Pride Month many companies express their support for LGBTQ+ communities by utilizing the rainbow flag in their stores, logos and merchandise. While this is a significant way to enhance visibility and raise money; if they donate the proceeds to LGBTQ+ organizations, it often ends once the commercialization of the month passes.
If you’re learning about Indian Residential Schools in the U.S. and Canada for the first time; it’s critical you're cognizant of the fact that these systems of colonial violence deliberately inflicted intergenerational trauma on Indigenous communities. Navigating our own lack of knowledge about this type of government-backed, church-led atrocity should not be placed on the shoulders of those who bear its scars.
As the Black History Month series on Transatlantic Notes comes to an end, it's critical to understand that there's so much more that could be celebrated. Black American achievement, resiliency and the national and cultural impact they've had on this nation are not confined to just a few people or a small noteworthy number of events. Black history is American History and it shouldn't be restricted to a month or be taught as an elective or seen as a sidenote.
Throughout this series of articles dedicated to Black History Month on Transatlantic Notes, we've encountered and learned about some incredible people. Often overcoming the all-pervading reach of racism within American society and the generational trauma it inflicts, there have been trailblazers, innovators and influential African Americans who have both challenged and changed this nation for the better.
History is filled with pivotal moments within the political arena that have either pushed forward or held back racial and social progress in the United States. There are many decisions and events that have shaped the journey to justice, equality, diversity and civil rights.
Black history is filled with people who innovated, educated, inspired, advocated and challenged. There are so many achievements (often despite significant oppression or personal danger) that have been the forerunners of shaping progress in the United States. Black history and those who created glorious moments of change have often gone unnoticed or spoken of all too quietly.
