Since 1928, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) has formally set the theme for Black History Month.
This year, the organization has set the theme as: "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity!"
"The black family has been a topic of study in many disciplines—history, literature, the visual arts and film studies, sociology, anthropology, and social policy. Its representation, identity, and diversity have been reverenced, stereotyped, and vilified from the days of slavery to our own time. The black family knows no single location, since family reunions and genetic-ancestry searches testify to the spread of family members across states, nations, and continents. Not only are individual black families diasporic, but Africa and the diaspora itself have been long portrayed as the black family at large. While the role of the black family has been described by some as a microcosm of the entire race, its complexity as the “foundation” of African American life and history can be seen in numerous debates over how to represent its meaning and typicality from a historical perspective—as slave or free, as patriarchal or matriarchal/matrifocal, as single-headed or dual-headed household, as extended or nuclear, as fictive kin or blood lineage, as legal or common law, and as black or interracial, etc. Variation appears, as well, in discussions on the nature and impact of parenting, childhood, marriage, gender norms, sexuality, and incarceration. The family offers a rich tapestry of images for exploring the African American past and present." - ASALH
As cultivators of the Black narrative in the Commonwealth of Virginia, we invite our village to contribute to the narrative for the month of February, by celebrating a beloved ancestor, and sharing how they have positively impacted your family for generations.
Contribute to the narrative, by submitting your story here no later than February 14, 2021.