Why Should We Have Black History Month?

No one will argue that in order to make a cake you need ALL of the ingredients to make sure it holds together properly and I see Black History as a vital ingredient that must never be overlooked to ensure a Wonderful World.

If it were not for Black History Month I would not have been introduced to Black Scientists like Elijah McCoy (1843- 1929), Black Visual Artists like Stan Douglas (October 1960) currently on view at the National Gallery until September 2024, Black Musician and Composer Nathaniel Dett (1882 - 1943), Black Social Justice Activist like Viola Desmond (1914 – 1965) and I would never have sung Clumbin’ Up the Mountain arranged by Pasty Ford Simms (born 1946).

I was invited as the guest singer for the Woodroffe United Church’s Black History Month Service on Feb. 25, 2024.  When they asked me to sing Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen and Wade in The Water, I was more than ready to sing those Negro Spirituals as I immediately recognized them and had sung them on numerous occasions.  But ‘Climbin’ Up the Mountain’ was a song I was not familiar with.  A part of my culture that I would not have come across if it were not for the Music Minister, Katarina Jovic’s, request for me to sing this particular song. It is now a song that I have in my repertoire that enriches me as a musician. A song that could have easily been overlooked if it were not for Black History Month.

I am thankful for Black History Month and know that it is up to me to ensure that I am continually acknowledging and sharing my culture because Black History is a vital ingredient to the preservation and health of the human race.

Keep on Singing,

Roxanne Goodman

The Confidence Booster