Raising the Black Liberation Flag in Honor of Black History Month
February 12, 2020
Weequahic High school in Newark, NJ commemorated Black History Month with the raising of the Black Liberation Flag. The ceremony entailed the following:
- Explain the significance of the Black Liberation flag,
- Pour libation to the ancestors,
- Sing the Black National Anthem,
- Perform culturally conscious Poetry, and
- End the program with seven Harambee (Kiswahili for people pulling together).
The colors of the Black Liberation Flag are red, black and green. Red represents the shedding of the innocent blood of Black people. Black represents Black people all over the planet. Green represents mother Africa. The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, one of world's most respected Black leaders of 20th Century, created the Black Liberation Flag in the 1920's to give Black people a racial unifying identity in the African diaspora.
The raising of the Black Liberation Flag was facilitated by history teacher Bashir Muhammad Akinyele. After the raising of the Black Liberation flag, our Dance teacher, Ms. Imani Carter, had the students perform an African dance routine. All Friday's Black History Month programming took place during convocation in the gym. All students and staff wore all Black as a symbol of Umoja (Kiswahili word for unity) with all Black people and people of color.
For 17 years, Weequahic High School has commemorated Black History Month with the raising of the Black liberation.
The Black History Month Committee was created by history teachers to organize programs and activities for February's Black History Month and for the school year at Weequahic High School for students and the community.
"Black History Month must be a time to inspire people of all walks of life to seriously study the great accomplishments and contributions people of African descent made to the World!"