Black History Month continues to remember and acknowledge the history of Black activists who protested and persevered for civil rights and freedom in the United States.
This is a critical point for democracy in the United States. Civil rights are being challenged in the court system and rights are being stripped away.
Black activists protested every day against the injustice and racism that Black people suffered. From slavery to being segregated based on the color of their skin, USC students shared Black activists who resonated with them for their fight for equality.
Olivia Langford, a Junior music industry major, tells us about black musicians who changed the dynamic of social movement towards music.
“Nina Simone has been one of the leading black music artists for me in terms of the music that she writes, same with Roberta Flack. The two of them really did stand out in terms of writing music that tells the people what is going on, not only in black culture but also in the world in general,” said Langford.
But it is not just musical artists who paved the way for Black Civil Rights. For dramatics arts major, Iman Fadlalla, an inspiration that comes to mind is French Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist Frantz Fanon.
“He believed in pan-Africanism and uniting like black people around the world. And he had that belief that every, every civil rights movement is connected, like all of our struggles are connected. And he really believed in like all oppressed peoples uniting, like, realizing our similarities and realizing our common oppressors, and then coming together to fight that,” said Fadlalla.
Hewit Keeler, a freshman political science major, it was James Baldwin, the famed civil rights activist and influential advocate for the LGBTQ community who inspired him.
“He was a very outspoken guy, and honestly, one of the best debaters in American history. And also he was, he was not just advocating for black rights as well. He was a part of the LGBTQ-plus community,” said Keeler.
Baldwin’s outspoken nature was part of the reason Keeler was drawn to the civil rights icon.
“What I loved about him, is that he was, he was going to speak about his mind, and he didn’t care about what other people thought about him,” said Keeler.
As Black History Month comes to an end, we should acknowledge the legacy that activists left behind to continue to preserve equality today.