Celebrating Black Heritage Month and the power of community

Black Heritage Month is a time for celebration. It’s a time to recognize history, culture and legacy.

Throughout the month, we celebrate our leaders, our innovators and our changemakers – past and present. We uplift poets and scientists, activists and athletes, teachers and entrepreneurs who have forged the path for others to follow.

We celebrate Black Joy: the resilience that runs through our families and friends. We celebrate it when we paint, shine and create alongside Black artists around the world. We celebrate it in the small moments that took courage for others and allow us to be the best versions of ourselves.

Black heritage is a history of strength. For generations, Black families and communities have overcome obstacles to create culture, drive change and leave their mark on the world. Despite oppression and hardship, Black communities and individuals have always used their voices to lift as high as their legs could take them. Black painters, writers, scientists, activists, teachers, entrepreneurs and public servants have inspired others to dream more, do more and be more.

This month, we celebrate Black history and Black present. We celebrate our forebears: the leaders and changemakers who spent their lives bettering the communities around them. We also celebrate today’s artists, innovators, teachers and entrepreneurs who are continuing this legacy by uplifting and supporting their communities. Black heritage exists in every industry and is uplifting neighborhoods across the country.

When we celebrate Black heritage, we also celebrate the power of community. Ideas do not manifest into action without people rallying behind them. When we come together to lift each other, we strengthen our culture, celebrate our wins and empower those around us. We can build strong systems of support and care for our people, but doing so alone is difficult. By investing in our communities, teaching our children what we know and allowing them to teach us, and lifting our elders, we can do anything.

This month, let’s all celebrate joy and happiness. Dance to the music that heals your heart, appreciate the art that moves you and learn from the stories that preserve our history. Celebrate your traditions and encourage others to celebrate theirs. Recognize the advancements being made across industries that allow Black people to continue shaping this world. Most of all, celebrate each other.

Every heritage is worth celebrating, and I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come and the ancestors who helped us get here.

I will always value courage, creativity, collaboration and community. These values allow us to continue supporting each other and celebrating all heritages. Every culture has a rich history filled with people we can learn from. Let’s continue to honor and celebrate all heritages so future generations can inherit an even more empowered world.

Celebrating who we are fuels the excellence of what we can become.

Crystal Wigfall is United Way of Central Indiana’s director of culture and belonging.