Black History Month is an annual celebration and a time to recognize African Americans who have struggled and succeeded in an attempt and a proclamation to create equality. One of the most talked about and influential individuals that has helped to establish a path for African Americans is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King gave a speech about a dream that was so moving, he eventually pushed his notes to the side, one of his famous lines are, “we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream”, he transformed his speech into a sermon.
Photo Credit: pbs.org/marchonwashington
President Kennedy helped the civil rights movement take place. He also choose Hawaiʻi to have a possible conference for the Civil Rights bill. The reason behind him choosing Hawaiʻi as a forefront for the conference was because Hawaiʻi represents everything we are and that we hope to be in the future.
To help honor and celebrate Black History Month, we thought we’d highlight “Black and White: The Early Years of Dan Inouye.” While the issues of the day were many, this film focuses on Hawaiʻi as a multicultural community that is more an oddity to Congressional Members at the time who were wrestling with Civil Rights legislation. In an interview the late Senator Inouye responds, “We have been able to show not only the people of the United States but the people throughout the world that it is possible for men and women of all different national origins to live together and work together and play together with very little if any friction — and we’ve found the secret in Hawaiʻi.”
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Post by Sage Kaonohi, ʻUluʻulu Intern
ʻUluʻulu: The Henry Kuʻualoha Giugni Moving Image Archive of Hawaiʻi 