BIPOC Elected Officials of Orange County, N.C. Present “Let America Be America Again” for Black History Month
For Black History Month 2022, the BIPOC elected officials of Orange County, N.C., have released their video presentation of the Langston Hughes poem “Let America Be America Again.”
WATCH THE VIDEO on YouTube at https://youtu.be/iFscQ_oyMtA and consider its meaning and message this Black History Month. The poem highlights the discrepancy between the ideals of the American Dream and the realities of American life. Has the United States fulfilled its promised vision of freedom and equality for all people? Read the poem at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/147907/let-america-be-america-again
“I chose this 1936 poem by Langston Hughes because of its correlation to Dr. Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” said NC Senator Valerie P. Foushee. “Although the references and images are different, the messages are inextricably linked; that the ‘ordered liberty’ experiment that George Washington spoke of remains a dream deferred for many. America is not perfect. It is not what it can be, but it is still a great nation. It is still the land of hope. We must ensure that it remains the land of opportunity.”
The elected officials representing the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) coalition who are featured in the video presentation are as follows:
- N.C. State Senate
Valerie P. Foushee - District Court for 15B Judicial District
Joal Hall Brown - Carrboro Town Council:
Barbara Middleton-Foushee - Chapel Hill Town Council
Camille Berry
Allen Buansi (former member)
Tai Huyn
Paris Miller-Foushee - Hillsborough Board of Commissioners
Robb English
Matt Hughes - Orange County Board of County Commissioners
Jean Hamilton
Renée Ann Price
Anna Richards - Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education
Rani Dasi
Riza Jenkins
Deon Temne - Orange County Schools Board of Education
Brenda Stephens
Black History Month
Since its beginnings as a weeklong recognition by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926, Black History Month has grown to include opportunities for education, reflection, and celebration.
Everyone is invited to participate in Black History Month events this February and continue interest in the meaning and impacts of Black Americans throughout the year.
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