Black History Month

Steven J. McGriff, Ph.D., Director of Biblical Unity, Valley Christian Schools

In third grade, I wrote a biography about my dad. Unlike my classmates’ papers, my dad’s life was a history lesson spanning fifty years from the 1920s to the 1970s. He lived through the years in America of Jim Crow laws and then the Civil Rights Movement. I learned about extraordinary heroes like Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, and The Little Rock Nine. As an African American, my dad also experienced the struggle for equality and justice firsthand.

As a child growing up in a multicultural suburb in California, the battles over racial equality felt like something out of the distant past. Today, fifty years later, I’m still learning that Civil Rights is not a settled matter but rather an ongoing process. I hold on to the inspiring words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, which promised that all men — regardless of ethnic or cultural identity — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Despite the hopes of our founding architects and increasing awareness of race issues, American citizens of color still struggle sixty years after the famous I Have a Dream speech. We must accept Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s challenge to our nation, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”

February is Black History Month, and the national theme is Black Resistance. Resistance takes many forms, and we can take time this month to learn about historical and current Black resistance movements. We can reflect on African Americans’ struggles, sacrifices, and accomplishments throughout our nation’s history. Perhaps now more than ever, Christians must recognize Black history and engage faith to understand the current social issues in the African American community.

People who follow God know about resistance, persecution, and injustice; it’s woven into the Bible and is integral to man’s story. My father’s struggle for respect and equality in American society is just one repetition of millions of stories throughout our nation’s history. The Black community, and the Black Church, have led efforts to ensure that every American enjoyed their democratic rights, spurring change in voting and education rights and other areas.

As Christians, we have much to consider, learn from, and celebrate during Black History Month. When President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, he encouraged the American people to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans.” Black History Month allows Christians to go well beyond just honoring accomplishments. We can examine our human pride, pursue reconciliation and forgiveness, and grow in celebrating God’s good gift of diversity and his infinite love for every person.

“There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” (Revelation 7:9).

The Bible teaches more profound reasons why Christians should honor Black History Month.

We recognize the image of God in every person. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them,” (Genesis 1:27).

Take the opportunity to recognize God’s image in every person, regardless of background or ethnicity. God calls Christians to love their neighbors and treat them with respect, as they were all created in the image of God and, therefore, are all equal in his eyes.

We embrace the power of forgiveness. “Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us," (Matthew 6:12).

The power of forgiveness is critical to our faith. The only way to move forward in a spirit of love and understanding is to work on healing the wounds of our past.

We celebrate our differences. “There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,” (Revelation 7:9).

Black History Month is not just about recognizing our past but also about celebrating our differences—differences that will make us a beautiful tapestry when we all stand before Jesus at the end of this age. When Christians align with God, he empowers us to create a more inclusive, equitable, and just society for everyone by celebrating our differences.

To Learn More

Black history is such a significantly important part of United States history and worth more than the honor of a single month. Opportunities to learn more can happen year-round. Check out these resources for ways to honor, teach, and learn Black history.

Read, read, read!
1. 34 Black History Month Activities for February and Beyond
2. Black History Month for Kids
3. About Black History Month
4. Visit BlackPast.org for an extensive list of notable Black figures past and present.
5. Go to your favorite libraries and bookstores — not to mention online repositories and booksellers — which are overflowing with incredible works of Black literature, history, and biography. Find a book about a piece of Black history you were unaware of and learn.
Visit a museum
1. Throughout February, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) offers a range of virtual events and conversations that affirm and preserve the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history.
2. The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, Montgomery, Alabama
3. The National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee

Prayer

Our Father and God of all peoples, whose Son reaches across the ethnic boundaries and through cultural differences, help us to break down the barriers between your people in our communities, enable us to see the reality of racism and bigotry, and free us to challenge and uproot it from ourselves, our society and our world.

Holy Spirit, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all victims of racial hatred and discrimination and seek your protection for those affected in our churches, schools, places of work, and communities.

Lord God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for ourselves. May we be voices against oppression and channels of the gospel’s transforming power. Open our hearts to all who suffer in our midst but out of sight. Please work with our hands, feet, and hearts for a world where human beings are valued, no one is enslaved, and no one is used against their will for another’s pleasure or greed.

Lord Jesus, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray that we may know the power of reconciliation and restoration. Wherever there is division between us and others, because of our race or ethnicity, we pray that we may all be led to reconciliation. We pray for all to work to bring communities together in just and equal ways.

Heavenly Father, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

[Prayer adapted from The Prayer of Intercession, published in Liturgical Resources for Black History Month by the Church of England, found online February, 9, 2023 https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/Liturgical%20Resources%20for%20Black%20History%20Month%20FINAL.pdf]

For More Information

Look for monthly cultural and heritage celebration updates on the Biblical Unity web page or email Dr. Steven J. McGriff, Director of Biblical Unity, Valley Christian Schools.