Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. This list offers a few ways to delve deeper into Black history and support a more equitable future.

Guest Post by Luisa Conlon, Director of Senior Prom

As we celebrate National LGBTQ+ History Month this October, we can work together to raise up the experiences and voices of our LGBTQ+ elders, and learn about the sacrifices so many of them made to get us here.

In a world where we are seemingly endlessly bombarded with painful news, it’s easy to imagine that the pandemics of our time would have all of us curled up in a ball on the couch. It’s not an unreasonable reaction to a steady onslaught of tough news. It’s also not true.

The Color of Care, from executive producer Oprah Winfrey, takes a hard look at the origins and ongoing disparities of embedded racism in our healthcare system. This timely documentary interweaves history, data and testimony from those who lost loved ones to COVID-19 and frontline medical workers in overwhelmed hospitals.

We all have the power to make a difference in our communities, to uplift our spirits, and to come together to strengthen them. Here are 10 ways you can make a positive impact today.

Huge strides have been made with the Supreme Court ruling this week that protects LGBTQIA+ from being fired because of their sexual orientation and gender identification. Before this decision, almost half the states lacked this legal projection.

“One big lesson from this opinion is don’t give up. You have to believe that you can change things,” said Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry. It’s inspiring to see how individuals can come together to fight against social justice and shape a more inclusive society. And now it is the time to build on this momentum and do even more. 

The widening inequality gap we are witnessing as we emerge from the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and the attention being paid to the killings of Black Americans including Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and, most recently, George Floyd remind us of the absolute necessity of continuing the work to create a society that supports and values each of its members equally. How can we build a society based around compassionate communities, whose members are motivated and empowered to take action to actively improve the world for their fellow human beings?

Over the last several weeks, we have been devastated by the killings of Ahmaud Aubery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. 

These tragedies are painful reminders of the long history of injustice and racism in the U.S. that continues to tear our communities apart and leaves us living in fear of one another.

We all know there is another way — a country where we would all live as “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” 

But we don’t live in that world. George Floyd did not live in that world.