BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The beginning of February marks the start of Black History Month. 23ABC is highlighting this year's theme, Black resistance. It means acknowledging the movements that have strengthened the Black community and have shaped the world we live in today.
Historic eras of time, such as the Civil Rights Movement, are some of the most significant marks in Black history. Through the theme of Black resistance, we can see how moments of advocacy from the Black community reflect some elements of Black resistance.
"The Civil Rights March was the biggest that I grew up with, and it was a lot," said Lieutenant General Dee Slade of the Buffalo Soldiers of Fort Bakersfield. "John Lewis and seeing him, and being beaten and seeing all of the horrible things, Mrs. Rosa Parks on the bus, the Freedom Riders. They were coming from the north, all over the place in the south, trying to break that cycle of 'You can't sit at a counter and order something,' being spit on. I saw that. I grew up with that."
Slade remembers what life was like during the Civil Rights Movement, and says the marches and protests taking place in the 1950s and 60s were some of the significant resistance efforts of the Black community in the fight for social justice and equal rights.
It's a fight Slade witnessed firsthand in Kern.
"Becoming a teenager and not being able to get a job because I was a dark person, so they would push you to something in the back of the room. Even in Bakersfield, there were things downtown that I remember, and I was a young woman with children," said Slade. "Seeing the sign telling me I couldn't go out towards Meadows Field in the Oildale area, I had to out of there before sundown, and that n-word."
In the present, Vice President of Public Affairs for Centric Health Michael Bowers says that a part of keeping Black history alive is by being active within the Black community. Part of the story is about how far we've come, but another part is identifying how we can keep moving forward by getting involved in local Black organizations.
"I believe that's the resisting. Resisting the mindset of the continued narrative to do the status quo. Resisting the mediocracy aspect of not getting involved in the community as we should. I believe that has a lot to do with the resistance. That's my interpretation," said Bowers.
Slade says that it's up to the younger generations to keep the motive of the movement alive and continue to honor the fight and sacrifices that have opened the doors of opportunity and shaped the lives of the Black community today.
"I would like to see some type of change. The 21st Century is here. It's time out for all of that. Each generation is to move. You are to do better than the group before you," said Slade.
If you would like to take part in some Black History Month events going on here in Kern County, you can check the Bakersfield Black Dollar Initiative's Events Calendar.
