Black History and President's Day

    Today we have a Monday free from labor. Most of us, or a good portion of Americans, are not obliged to work. Many of us are paid for it! It was a federal holiday. I got paid for it. And, we are supposed to recognize all or most of the U.S. presidents. Yay! Chester Arthur, Franklin Pierce, etcetera. Both the Harrisons. Who can forget?

    This month is dedicated to Black men, women, and children. To celebrate and remember the history that we have shared with African-Americans.

    President Obama was our first Black president. I read one and half of his books, which explains how he grew up and how he identified more and more as Black, despite having been raised by his white mother, her white parents, and had an Indonesian step-dad for a while. He married Michelle eventually, and became more ensconced within the Black community.

    Some, or many, have claimed that he has helped the Black community, as well as people of all colors, quite a bit. I like to hear and see the evidence. I was proud of my country for electing him in 2008, and seeing him inaugurated in January of 2009. He did all right. I voted against him in 2012, but he again he held office decently enough. We, Barach and I, and many others, have different opinions as to how to help the communities thrive and flourish. Democrats and Republicans disagree about theories and bills and efforts on how to help people, societies within our great land, and what deserves priority in the budget and what is truly helpful to make our nation and its citizens safe, protected, and successful.

    But I think that we can all agree that Black Americans have done a lot for our nation, and they are part and parcel of our success, and share in some of its failures, too.

    I like Black History month.

    I want to learn more. 

    Marcus Garvey, Huey Newton, Alice Walker, and millions more.

    Long live these times of focused attention on people and things that we should understand and know more about.