A Reflection on Black History Month
Introduction to Black History Month:
In 1986, the U.S. Congress declared the month of February to be Black History Month. This designation, however, did not come without many decades of desire and necessity. The origins of Black History Month date back to 1926, where the founder of the Association of African American Life and History (ASALH) has established “Negro History Week” to occur in the second week of February. ASALH’s founder Dr. Carter G. Woodson chose this week as it encompasses the birthdays of Fredrick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. It was these factors, as well as the first celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a national holiday, that in 1986, Congress declared February as Black History Month.
We celebrate Black History Month as a time to recognize the black persons in our life, our leadership, and in our community. We also take the time to recognize the injustices the Church has put upon these same individuals and their predecessors. We recognize the uncomfortability of facing our dishonorable past, but hold firm in knowing that we must face it in order to provide a better world for the next generations to come. Black History Month provides a lens to view the beauty and the tragedy of the history of what it means to be black in America, and it also provides a running start for us to learn and grow more in the years to come. Now is the time to begin to listen and learn to the black persons in our community, to hear their stories, and learn what we can do to end the disparity they face everyday. [Sources: https://asalh.org/]
A Celebration and Biography of the life of Right Reverend Barbara Harris:
In this month of February, we celebrate Black History Month. This month we choose to celebrate a figure within our Anglican Communion, The Right Reverend Barbara Harris. Born 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rt. Rev. Harris spent her childhood attending a local Episcopal church and playing piano for the church school. After graduating from Philadelphia High School for Girls, Rt. Rev. Harris later attended and graduated from Charles Morris Price School of Advertising and Journalism. In the 1960s, she took part in the civil rights movement, spending her time registering black voters in Mississippi, as well as participating in Martin Luther King Jr’s march in Selma.
In 1974, Rt. Rev. Harris served as a crucifer at the controversial ordination of eleven women during the time when the ordination of women was banned. Inspired by the courage of these women, Harris entered the ministry and became a deacon in 1979 and the next year, a priest. Eight years later in 1988, the Lambeth Conference decided that it was up to each autonomous province whether to ordain women as bishops. Soon after this decision, in 1989, Rt. Reverend Harris was elected and consecrated as the Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts. In her election and consecration, several more conservative priests broke ties with the Church. Despite the challenges brought upon by the social controversy of her position, Rt. Rev. Harris continued to advocate for women and racial and ethinic minorities. She also spoke against those in the 1999 Lambeth Conference who questioned the authority of and value of other women priests. In 2002 she retired after meeting the mandatory retirement age, and continued to serve as assisting bishop in the Diocese of Washington D.C. until 2007. Right Reverend Harris joined the heavenly Communion in March of 2020.
We celebrate Right Reverend Harris as an advocate and leader in the push for civil rights and women’s rights in a time when it is highly controversial. Rt. Rev. Harris was someone who was not afraid to push the status quo in favor of progress, and we all aspire to learn from her and push the status quo in our own lives.
Sources: (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Barbara-Harris), (https://episcopalarchives.org/church-awakens/exhibits/show/leadership/clergy/harris)
