By DaQuan Lawrence AFRO International Writer DLawrence@afro.com
In an era where public and political discourse seem to revolve around buzzwords like “authoritarianism” and ”fascism,” examinations of how human rights defenders and social justice institutions can address American dominance and the White supremacist establishment are necessary.
Following the astute valuation of Black holidays by Aswad Walker of the Houston Defender Network in 2023, where Walker said holidays are meant to be vehicles for teaching and the recognition and passing down of specific values important to the life and well-being of a people, the AFRO asked community members about alternative “Black” holidays and the significance of Black August.
August 2025 represents an opportunity for people of African descent and marginalized communities to learn about alternative ways to engage national holidays and to commemorate fallen freedom fighters. Internationally known as “Black August” due to the plethora of historical events, as well as the births and deaths of human rights defenders who fought for civil liberties and international liberation for African descendants, the month is usually filled with opportunities for education on America’s true history.
The origins of Black August date back to the 1970s and the imprisonment of Black Panther Party Field Marshal George Jackson, who was incarcerated in San Quentin Prison in California. Convicted of armed robbery as a 19-year-old in 1961, Jackson received a “1-to-life,” sentence which allowed prison administrators to arbitrarily control the length of his prison tenure.
After the death of Jackson’s comrade W.L. Nolen, his younger brother Jonathan Jackson was also murdered in August 1970, along with two other prisoners that helped Jonathan demand his brother’s release at the Marin County Courthouse. George Jackson was assassinated by a prison guard on Aug. 21, 1971 – a year after the courthouse tragedy – and facts around his death remain disputed to this day.
Considering the list of Black holidays such as MLK Day, African Liberation Day, Kwanzaa and Black History Month in modern society, citizens also recognize and call attention to the duality that U.S. holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day represent within the collective conscience of the public.
“During our recent Race and Social Justice Summer Institute, one of our speakers, Dr. Raymond Winbush, discussed reparations and the importance of Juneteenth as opposed to July 4 and how the former is significant for Black people in terms of racial and social justice,” Natasha Pratt-Harris told the AFRO.
Pratt-Harris is an associate professor and coordinator of the graduate programs in the department of sociology and anthropology at Morgan State University. From June 16–27,the DuBois-Diggs Center for Race and Social Justice at Morgan State University hosted the Race & Social Justice Summer Institute 2025 to engage various stakeholders in meaningful discussions and workshops on race and social justice issues.
Throughout the two-week hybrid program, attendees participated in both virtual and in-person events such as workshops, lectures, cultural walking tours and site visits around Baltimore, and panel discussions with community and social justice advocates to create strategies for liberation. Pratt-Harris and graduate students from Morgan State’s sociology program spearheaded the initiative.
“I’d like for Black people around the nation and world to find reasons to recognize Juneteenth between ,” Pratt-Harris said, considering that people of African descent may seek to learn about Black resistance efforts year-round and find alternative reasons to observe holidays.
Other members of the community also expressed ideas around commemorating Black resistance efforts as opposed to celebrating standard national holidays that diminish the tumultuous history of the nation.
“I think that many historical instances of Black people fighting for civil rights are synonymous with national holidays and are good ways for all people, especially Black families, to embrace love and community while they find their own cause for celebration,” Frederick Watkins, comedian, actor and founder and executive director of Lil’ Laughs Corp., said.
“I think Black August is no greater example, because it can mean a lot to different people – as the month is both positive and challenging for those who have recollections of events that affected marginalized groups like Black people,” he continued.
Remembering the actual events of history is important, especially considering the context, as history is not always taught thoroughly or accurately, a fact that is evident based on the ongoing ideological debate around banning schoolbooks that teach the accurate history of Black Americans.
August has historically been a month filled with events and tragedies inexplicably related to the Black liberation struggle, including the arrival of enslaved Africans in British North America in August 1619, Nat Turner’s notorious rebellion in August 1831, as well as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the Watts Rebellion, which occurred in August during the 1960s.
More recently the unlawful police murders of John Crawford, Michael Brown (2014) and Korryn Gaines (2016) also took place in August, and each instance reinvigorated calls against police brutality and for Black liberation. Considering such events, members of the community would rather focus on actual history rather than embellished holidays.
“I believe history shows they actually lied, and we are being tricked to participate in our captivity,” Sharif Shafi of the Freedom Fighters of the DMV told the AFRO.
“It’s like Patty Hearst, the woman who was allegedly kidnapped but fell in love and began to empathize and sympathize with her kidnapper’s behavior. We have a colonized version of Stockholm syndrome, where we accept things given to us,” Shafi said.
Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response where a captive begins to identify closely with his or her captors, as well as with their agenda and demands. One of the most famous cases of Stockholm syndrome may be when Patricia Hearst, a newspaper heiress, helped her kidnappers to rob multiple banks in the 1970s.
Hearst claimed she had been brainwashed and temporarily became an advocate for her captors’ radical ideology in what is considered one of the strangest cases in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the agency reported.
Shafi highlighted the importance of commemorating actual events and the timeline of history, rather than accepting propagated narratives that promote American assimilation despite evidence of inaccurate information.
“Black August is real, while their holidays mean nothing to me. should not mean anything to you, because if you go back and look, in 1776 for example, they were still selling, beating and raping Black people,” Shafi said. “So, in 2025, why wouldn’t we celebrate Black August?”
Watkins also believes that Black people should participate in efforts such as the Race and Social Justice Summer Institute led by the DuBois-Diggs Center at Morgan State, and utilize Black August as a time to focus and learn about our cultural history.
“It’s the summer,” he said, “and no matter what we do in July, August is still an opportunity to get closer with family, to learn more and to engage our community and history of resistance.”
Great Job DaQuan Lawrence & the Team @ AFRO American Newspapers Source link for sharing this story.
