SAY IT LOUD, I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD

Written by Rev. Yvonne Virginia Delk (D.Min)

I am approaching my 84th year of life and I can say out loud -with the passion of James Brown- I am Black and I am proud.” I am grateful for the DNA which runs deep into my heart, mind, and soul. Black history month allows me to stand still and remember that I am the daughter of Africa- the birthplace of life, the origin of the major western religions and the home of kings and queens who ruled the Nile, measured the stars, and discovered the laws of mathematics. 

I am the daughter of mothers and fathers who were stolen from their homeland, experienced the bloody horror of the middle passage, navigated their way through the inhumanity of slavery and racism without surrendering their integrity or their dignity. They overcame evil, pushed past boundaries, and blazed in an unbelievable path of freedom and liberation. 

I am the daughter of Cora and Marcus Delk who instilled in my spirit that with God all things are possible- without God nothing is possible. Anchored in faith and sustained by faith, they nurtured me to survive, to function, to love God, myself, and my race.   They took me to New Macedonia Christian United Church of Christ in Norfolk, Virginia.  It was  

there that I was reminded Sunday after Sunday of who I was and whose I was. I am grateful for Pastors, Sunday school teachers, who instilled in me a sense of dignity ,worth and purpose. Over and over the word was proclaimed that I was created in God’s image. When a word has been spoken over you, - a word that gives you an identity, meaning and purpose. you have been named  with an eternal name and no-one can reduce you to namelessness again.

I am grateful for Black history Month in that it allows me to take the time to say thank you to all those who have come before me and those that I walk with today. We have survived the definitions that attempted to contain us and limitations designed to imprison us. We have survived Afro-phobia, the Critical Race Theory, as well as those who refuse to face or to teach the truth of our history. I pledge to continue to preach, teach, our history, our truths, our wisdom, insights. I know who I am. I am a Woman of God. I am Black and I am proud!

Quotes

“For me, Black History month is a time of reflection: it is a time to reflect on the narrative of our people, African-American people, and how we survived through the crucible of slavery, Jim Crow and now, in the present day, a new wave of racism, hatred, and violence against us. But also, Black History month is a time to reflect on the great achievements, contributions, and victories won by people and how we were able to keep on keeping on in spite of the constant threat of non-being”. 

Rev. Eric Griffin (D.Min.), Pastor, St. Stephens UCC, Greensboro, N.C.

“I stand on the shoulder of my ancestors and I am where I am because they paved the way. I cannot forget neither can I allow my love ones to forget the suffering they endured. Not only is February Black History month but every day of the year, and If I don’t share the history of our ancestors we are bound to repeat it.” 

Rev. Eddie Weathers, ENCA Association Minister

“Many would say that because Black history is intricately woven into the panoramic of America, our history should be taught as American history, that there should not be a reason to highlight a month, much less the shortest month of the year as Black History Month. I thoroughly agree with the sentiment. Yet, as in other demographics such as women, LGBTQ+, Indigenous Americans, or other peoples whose histories would not be told with honesty and integrity, I’m an advocate for Black History Month. This month gives Black people—families, churches, schools, the opportunity to lift the varied contributions to this Country that has made her great. It shows the brilliance and creativity of a people who once were seen as little more than chattel. Until the United States adopts a more historically accurate accounting of America’s history, I will continue to support Black History Month as vital to the truth of America.

 Rev. Dian Jackson Davis, Pastor, Mt. Zion UCC, Rockingham, N.C.