On February 5th, 2021, FunTimes Magazine celebrated Black History Month by hosting the virtual event ‘Generations of History’. 

Carol Weaver and Dennis Ray, Co-founders of Seba Enrichment Academy, David Toland, Student, Kirt Henry, Assistant Curator of National Gallery of Jamaica, Department of Education, Rita Clarke, Storyteller, and Amiyah Hammond, Investor/Educator, all shared experiences of freedom-seeking, Black expression, and future strategies of Black building.

Audience members tuned in as speakers recited poems about Black experiences, reminisced on wisdom passed down from earlier generations, and reflected on motivations and strategies of being Black changemakers.

This month, and every month, we celebrate those who paved the way for current and future successes, including Ida B. Wells, an educator, civil rights leader, and journalist, who bravely campaigned for the eradication of racism and helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

We honor Jamaican freedom fighter, Marcus Garvey, who traveled to the United States in the early 1900s, established the first Black Nationalist Movement in the US, the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and campaigned for Blacks to move back to Africa. Our hats go off to Nanny of the Maroons and Cudjoe, warriors from Ghana who led a successful resistance movement against the British in Jamaica that ended in 1740 with a peace treaty and secured Maroon towns. Maroons in Jamaica and other parts of the world symbolize the strength, power, and resistance of the African Diaspora. 

The United States government brought Black poetry to the forefront when Amanda Gorman recited a majestic poem at the 2021 presidential inauguration. Now is an opportune time for Black storytellers to share their perspectives with the world. 

FunTimes thanks the speakers and attendees for their insight, and is excited to see everyone at the next event on February 19th, where we will honor our nominees for the FunTimes Recognition Awards. the 2021 People to Watch Under 30. How are you celebrating and magnifying your impact during Black History Month?

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 Nana Ama Addo is a writer, multimedia strategist, film director, and storytelling artist. She graduated with a BA in Africana Studies from the College of Wooster, and has studied at the University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Visit her storytelling brand at www.asieduasimprint.blog, and connect with her creative agency on Instagram: @chitheagency.