Black History Month 2025

Black History Month 2025: Beyond Policy, A Call for Reflection

During Black History Month 2025, many concerns and questions arise about race, personal agency, and executive orders’ impact on national discourse. But beyond policy and politics, I ask a more profound question: Are we genuinely engaging with the essence of Black history, or are we simply reacting to written mandates?

As a Black woman, an Adjunct Professor, and the Founder and President of the African American Female Professor Award Association (AAFPAA), I wrestle with the purpose of our collective efforts. Affirmative Action, signed into law over 60 years ago, was meant to ensure fairness—giving people the freedom to exist without fear of being judged or denied based on race, culture, or gender. And yet, has the spirit of justice and equity truly been embraced, or have we settled into complacency, relying on policy to do the work?

This is especially evident in higher education, where Black women make up less than 2% of faculty nationwide. Despite our expertise, credentials, and contributions, we remain severely underrepresented in academic spaces that shape knowledge and influence future generations. Part of this is because the policies and success models that dictate higher education were historically written by white elite men, who today make up about 6% of the U.S. population. These frameworks were not designed with the realities of diverse identities in mind. Given this, we must ask ourselves:

How do we engage and create an environment where all differences can thrive?

History is meant to be more than a timeline of past events—it’s an evolving transformation narrative. It is the lens through which we examine social, economic, and cultural shifts. But when we look at Black history, not just slavery, but the systemic structures that followed—what do we see? On the surface, much has changed. Yet, when we look deeper, we recognize that racism has become more covert, embedded in systems that often go unquestioned.

Black History Month is not just about acknowledgment; it is about introspection. How are we each showing up in this work? How are we challenging ourselves, our workplaces, and our communities to move beyond rhetoric and into action?

So, I ask you:

• Who will you be in the work of racial justice?
• What daily self-reflection will you commit to?
• Are you waiting for policy to tell you what’s right, or will you take responsibility for creating change?

For me, the question remains: What’s Law Got To Do With It?
True transformation does not begin with legislation—it starts with us.

As you reflect, remember this: most policies and laws were historically designed to exclude. Let’s ensure that our actions—individually and collectively—work to dismantle exclusion, not reinforce it. Let’s reimagine systems that uplift all voices, not just those who have historically controlled the narrative.