County of Orange issued the following announcement on Feb. 16.
For Black History Month 2022, the BIPOC elected officials of Orange County, N.C., have released their video presentation of the Langston Hughes poem “Let America Be America Again.”
Watch the video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/iFscQ_oyMtA and consider its meaning and message this Black History Month. The poem highlights the discrepancy between the ideals of the American Dream and the realities of American life. Has the United States fulfilled its promised vision of freedom and equality for all people? Read the poem at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147907/let-america-be-america-again
“I chose this 1936 poem by Langston Hughes because of its correlation to Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” said NC Senator Valerie P. Foushee. “Although the references and images are different, the messages are inextricably linked; that the ‘ordered liberty’ experiment that George Washington spoke of remains a dream deferred for many. America is not perfect. It is not what it can be, but it is still a great nation. It is still the land of hope. We must ensure that it remains the land of opportunity.”
The elected officials representing the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) coalition who are featured in the video presentation are as follows:
- N.C. State Senate: Valerie P. Foushee
- District Court for 15B Judicial District: Joal Hall Brown
- Carrboro Town Council: Barbara Middleton-Foushee
- Chapel Hill Town Council: Camille Berry, Allen Buansi (former member), Tai Huynh and Paris Miller-Foushee
- Hillsborough Board of Commissioners: Robb English and Matt Hughes
- Orange County Board of County Commissioners: Jean Hamilton, Renée Ann Price and Anna Richards
- Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education: Rani Dasi, Riza Jenkins and Deon Temne
- Orange County Schools Board of Education: Brenda Stephens
Since its beginnings as a weeklong recognition by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926, Black History Month has grown to include opportunities for education, reflection, and celebration. Everyone is invited to participate in Black History Month events this February and continue interest in the meaning and impacts of Black Americans throughout the year.
Try your hand at Black Histories and Futures Jeopardy
Are you the next Ken Jennings? During the month of February, visit the Orange County Main Library’s second floor to test your knowledge against an interactive Black History-themed Jeopardy! game. Pick up a scorecard and work your way through five categories with 25 prompts before making your wager in Final Jeopardy!
Read Black Books Challenge
Download the pdf in English or Spanish and have fun searching our catalog for titles that lift up Black histories and futures.
HRC to honor Dr. Pauli Murray with screening of documentary on Feb. 20
The Orange County Human Relations Commission Presents: “An Evening of Deep Reverence, Celebrating the Life of Dr. Pauli Murray” at 5 p.m. on Feb. 20 at The Drive-in at Carraway Village. The ceremony will include a community screening of “My Name is Pauli Murray,” an award-winning documentary that looks at the life and ideas of Murray, a non-binary Black lawyer, activist and poet who influenced Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall.
Parking is limited. Please R.S.V.P at http://ochrc_movienight.eventbrite.com/?s=166083539 to reserve your spot today. The event is free.
Original source can be found here.
Source: County of Orange
