As the month of February draws to a close, it is important to reflect on the many contributions of foundational Black Americans, both in Montgomery County and beyond.
This country (and county) wouldn’t be what it is without their tremendous contributions in the face of so much adversity, and despite past prejudices – much of it institutionalized by local and state governments.
According to this website, created by ASALH (the Association for the Study of African American Life and History), Black History Month was actually Black History Week up until the 1970s. Per ASALH.org:
“In 1976, fifty years after the first celebration, the Association used its influence to institutionalize the shifts from a week to a month and from Negro history to black history. Since the mid-1970s, every American president, Democrat and Republican, has issued proclamations endorsing the Association’s annual theme.”
In commemorating such important history however, it is important for local leaders to be accurate and honest about themselves and their own family history stories.
Last year for example, Montgomery County issued its annual commemoration for Black History Month on February 15, 2022, with the theme of “Black Health and wellness in Montgomery County.”
Part of the official County bulletin (issued 2/11/2022) has various quotes from Councilmembers celebrating Black History Month. A screenshot from it, below, reads:
Based on prior reporting and indeed, his own county-website “About” page, Councilmember Jawando’s ancestors were not brought to this country in “bondage” or via the middle passage.
His mother is a “white Kansan” and his father, Olayinka Jawando, came to America voluntarily from Nigeria as an immigrant, fleeing civil war back home. If there are additional details as to CM Jawando’s ancestry and the middle passage slave route, he should share them. Otherwise he should be accurate and stop saying “brought our ancestors here in bondage”. That simply isn’t true based on the facts made public today. Maybe he is referring to something else with the word “our” but the common definition of the word “our” is ‘belonging to or associated with the speaker and one or more other people previously mentioned’.
Fast forward to today, February 2023 and more questionable statements are being made by CM Jawando and others.
MyMCMedia.org has a published article called ‘Council Celebrates Black History Month’ by Maryam Shahzad o February 7, 2023. From the post:
“Black history is under attack at this very moment,” he [CM Jawando] said. He mentioned recent actions by the Governor of Florida to challenge an AP African American studies course.
“Black history is American history,” Councilmember Gabe Albornoz said. “And there are policymakers around this country that would do well to remember that. We will never forget that here in Montgomery County.”
It sounds like both Councilmembers are concerned that Black History month is “under attack” or being forgotten by ‘policymakers’, presumably political leaders in Florida or elsewhere.
Here, too, the statement and sentiment is flat-out misleading by people on the Council. A basic search reveals that far from being under ‘attack’, Black History Month celebrations and festivities were in the works, in Florida, as of February 10th, just a few days after MyMCMedia.org’s post was made.
The Florida Department of State is actively promoting a Black History Arts and Culture Festival, and it happened on February 10th, 2023. “The signature event of the celebration is the Black History Arts and Culture Festival on Friday, February 10, 2023, hosted by the Florida Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Division of Historical Resources at The Grove Museum in Tallahassee.”
Governor Ron DeSantis, the subject of CM Jawando’s hyperbolic statement, hosted teachers and students on February 24th to, indeed, celebrate Black History month. This statement doesn’t sound like an “attack” on Black History.
“Black History Month is an important opportunity for students to learn about the achievements of African Americans to both our country and our great state,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “It was an honor to host this year’s art, essay and educator winners at the Governor’s Mansion and see what our students have learned over the month.”
Why can’t Montgomery County Councilmembers simply commemorate this month and these important foundational Black American histories without making dubious claims or questionable, even inaccurate statements about themselves, and/or the actions of other American political leaders?
Related posts:
Will Jawando Doubles Down on Conflating His Family History with Black Foundational American History
The Montgomery Historical Society’s “The Immigrant Experience” Online Exhibit Reveals CM Jawando Has No Ancestral Ties to the Middle Passage
Part 2: Will Jawando’s Twitter Use Violates Constitutional Rights