February 1, 2022

Black History Month and Lunar New Year

This year, February first marks the start of two exciting celebrations: Black History Month and the Lunar New Year.

Black History Month

In the United States, the month of February is commemorated as Black History Month. It is a time to celebrate the heritage, history, and achievements of Black US Americans; subjects which are often neglected throughout the rest of the year. Unfortunately, the history of the US has largely been whitewashed and sanitized. The historical oppression and discrimination faced by Black US Americans is often minimized or erased—as are Black contributions to all areas of society. It is impossible to grapple with the systemic racism and anti-blackness in the US without understanding the real history of how we got here.

Black History Month was officially recognized by the US federal government in 1976, fifty years after Carter G. Woodson proposed “Negro History Week” to encourage a more honest and expansive teaching of US history. Unfortunately, many people and institutions see Black History Month as the one time of year to pay attention to Black people. Instead of tokenizing Black historical figures—or the Black people you know—by only recognizing their work for one month out of the year, consider taking this month to educate yourself on the rich and complex history, and the work that is currently being done, so that you can incorporate it into your research, curriculum, personal life, and community engagement all year round.

The DEI Learning Group recently watched the documentary No Time to Waste, featuring park ranger Betty Reid Soskin and her work ensuring that US history includes and illuminates the experiences of Black folks and other people of color. UW members can watch it for free here.

If you like podcasts, this Black History Month Playlist from Code Switch is a good place to start, as is Decolonizing Science, which is run by a UW Biology grad student. Other podcasts that are well worth a listen include The Stoop and FANTI.

There is a wealth of information out there, including actions you can take to make a more antiracist lab environment and to support Black communities.

Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year is celebrated by cultures and communities from east and southeast Asia and is often one of the most important holidays of the year. It is commonly referred to as “Chinese New Year” by the greater Chinese diaspora, but it is also known as the Spring Festival (China and Taiwan), Tết (Vietnam), and Seollal (South Korea).

The days around Lunar New Year are a time for people to come together with family, wish each other luck for the new year, exchange gifts, and, of course, eat delicious foods. Over the past few years, it has been much more difficult for folks to return to their hometowns or travel to see their families. This year, we hope you are able to safely be with people you love and that you have time to relax and celebrate.

SAFS wishes everyone a happy and healthy Lunar New Year!