The importance of Black history lies in its ability to educate, inspire and uplift all people of African descent, and to enlighten the rest of humanity about our cultures. It is a source of strength, cultural pride, and inspiration that we can draw upon to improve our nations, our communities, and our lives. When we begin to understand the heights we have achieved in the past, and the many great obstacles we have overcome, we start to realize our true potential as a people.

The fact that many aspects of our society, our technology, and our civilization, were invented by people of African descent, is something that we all need to know. How many of us know that the concept of a blood bank, an element so crucial to saving lives, was developed by Charles Drew, an African-American? How many of us know that the first version of the modern traffic light was invented by an African-American man named Garret Morgan? How about the invention of the gas mask, a device without which we could not fight fires safely, also created by Morgan? Perhaps even more profoundly, how many of us know that Black African people are the oldest people on the earth, and that they were responsible for the creation of the first major civilization in the world, Ancient Egypt?

Unfortunately, many people of African descent remain unaware of the achievements made by their ancestors. The basic education about Black history should be a part of all of our children's lives from an early age, not only in school, but also in the home.

It should also continue to be developed, advanced and promoted at the highest levels of education, just as the studies of other cultures have been promoted.

The purpose of Black history is not simply just a matter of Black people being able to memorize historical information.

The purpose is for every one of us to develop that fundamental understanding that we do have a history to be proud of, and to acknowledge, accept, and embrace it into our lives.

Through the processes of slavery, colonialism, and racism, Africans all over the world have been denied their true heritage. Some have even been lead to accept, whether consciously or subconsciously, the racist notions that Black people have never, and never will achieve anything.

The truth and knowledge of Black history provides the antidote to the hundreds of years of racist education and false teachings, to which we as a people have been subjected. It serves to re-establish a positive self- identity for all people of African descent throughout the entire world.

When we learn about our history, we learn to love ourselves, believe in ourselves, and rely on our own abilities. Black history can be a powerful force that can benefit us all, and by embracing it, we can lay a solid foundation for the next generation of Black people.

A generation that can look to it's past with great pride, and to its future with great hope.