Black history is not confined to February, and it is not always comfortable.
That was the message delivered at “The Origins of Black History Month,” where author, LBCC educator, and Albany Council member Ramycia McGhee challenged attendees to confront erasure, embrace discomfort and engage year-round.
Dressed in all black, attendees filled rows of seats and couches in the warm, coffee-scented Equity Center, as they gathered to reflect on the origins, impact, and future of Black History Month.
“Black History is a lived history," McGhee said. “It’s not just a post on social media. It’s happening now, and it will continuously be lived.”
The event drew a large turnout, including many white staff members seeking to learn more about Black history and its broader context. As the lunchtime presentation continued, more attendees quietly joined the audience.
McGhee traced the origins of Black History Month to Chicago and historian Carter G. Woodson, the second Black graduate of Harvard University. Woodson, known as the “Father of Black History,” founded the Association of the Study of African American Life and History. He launched what began as Negro History Week. In 1976, it was officially recognized as Black History Month.
The presentation also addressed what McGhee described as systematic erasure – the removal or minimizing of Black history from education, textbooks, and federal programs. A video produced by Black Stories Untold was also shared during the event to further illustrate the sanitizing of slavery narratives, the promotion of “feel good” success stories that do not challenge dominant perspectives, and the reduction of funding for certain diversity initiatives.
“Take the opportunity to not only share the knowledge, but also extend grace, because there’s a reason as to why all of our histories have not been shared broadly,” said Jason Dorsette, executive director of LBCC’s Office of Impact and Engagement.
Throughout the event, speakers emphasized emotional intelligence, self-care and growth through discomfort.
“I think it’s good for them to be uncomfortable,” McGhee said in an interview. “When we are all uncomfortable, we are challenged to grow. When we are too comfortable, we are stagnant. Discomfort is often a cornerstone of progress.”
McGhee encouraged participants to engage with people who hold different perspectives.
“I know it’s not easy to be in a room with people who are not of like mind,” she said in reference to individuals who may have differing opinions on race or historical inequities. “There is something that is very enlightening about being around people who don’t think like you. I do a lot of listening. I’m not in a space of trying to prove them wrong. I am in the space to just see and observe.”
When asked by an educator in the audience what resistance looks like today, McGhee said it varies.
“Activism and resistance looks different to everybody,” she said. “Wherever there’s progress, Black folks have always been resisting. We do not live in a post-racial world. It is ingrained in the fabric of the U.S. Having conversations like this is resistance.”
Dorsette added that resistance also requires discernment and emotional awareness.
“Every battle isn’t yours,” he said. “Every argument isn’t yours to have. Every untruth is not yours to debunk. We have to center our emotional intelligence and self-care.”
McGhee pointed to the civil rights movement as a blueprint for modern organizing.
“Folks can go back and look at how they were organized,” she said. “How they resisted, and what came from that. The civil rights movement is a prominent social movement that influences all other movements.”
She cited Ida B. Wells, the journalist and activist who documented lynchings in the South, as a personal inspiration. Wells continued her work even after her newspaper office was destroyed. McGhee also referenced Madam C.J. Walker, recognized as the first Black woman millionaire, as an example of entrepreneurial achievement.
McGhee reflected on her own role as the first Black woman and first woman of color elected to the Albany City Council.
“Representation shows the progress that Albany is making,” she said. “That’s huge.”
She also spoke about her membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, founded in 1908 as the first Black Greek sorority. The organization’s notable members include former Vice President Kamala Harris, Coretta Scott King, and honorary member Rosa Parks.
McGhee encouraged students to attend Black History Month events, support Black-owned businesses, bookstores, and continue reading beyond February.
“Black history is synonymous with American history,” she said. “There’s no difference in that.”
Looking ahead, she said she hopes conversations about erasure diminish and that Black history is recognized as part of a global diaspora.
“I hope that when people say Black history it is not just February," McGhee said, “and that when people say history, it’s not just American history.”
McGhee also connected discussions of historical erasure to contemporary events, pointing to what she described as limited media coverage surrounding the case of Keith Porter Jr. A black man, who was fatally shot and killed in Los Angeles, California by an off-duty ICE officer.
“It is so sad,” McGhee said. “To see it’s not being covered, I know that it is by design.”
She emphasized the importance of community conversations in keeping stories visible, adding that Porter’s life and experiences should not go unnoticed.
“He was someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s father,” she said. “We have to have a conversation about it. As much as people don’t want to talk about it. It happened, this is real.”
McGhee added that moments of resistance throughout history often come with personal cost and that honoring those affected is part of continuing the work of awareness and advocacy.
Quoting Lonna Clark Capaci, McGhee reminded attendees, “Before stories were told they were lived.”
As the event concluded, one message remained clear: growth requires intention.
“Make people uncomfortable,” McGhee said. “Make people think a little bit more.”
The responsibility, she added, does not end when the program does.
“It’s up to the person to water their own seed.”
At a Glance:
Find it here: The 100-Year Plot To ERASE Black History Month (It's Happening Now) – Black Stories Untold: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqhb6R5qKEs
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