Black August 2023: Pan African 60th Anniversaries!
By Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith
Remember the days of old; consider the years long past; ask your father, and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you. Deuteronomy 32:7
This month, Black August, we think back to the March on Washington, which occurred 60 years ago this August, along with some other significant Pan-African moments from 1963. Tradition suggests that the diamond symbolizes the sixtieth anniversary, which causes us to reflect on the Greek root of diamond /adamas/, meaning “unconquerable and enduring.”
The epigraph from Deuteronomy 32:7 suggests that remembrances of generations past can provide lessons about being unconquerable and enduring. We draw one such lesson from the story of Moses and the deliverance of the Israelites from bondage. It is a story about newfound freedom and a new way to live. As illustrated when they were hungry in the wilderness after their release, this new life was challenging. “The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:2-3)
And God heard their plea and provided food for the people to eat.
This biblical text of God’s faithfulness to the Israelites comes to mind during Black August. This moment is a time for recognizing the enduring faithfulness of Pan-African peoples in their resilient advocacy.
This year’s Black August includes a remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. A commemorative event will take place at the Lincoln Memorial on August 26.
August 31 will be another date to commemorate, as it marks the third International Day of People of African Descent. The United Nations 2nd Permanent Forum of People of African Descent will complement this date with its recommendations.
On August 29, Bread will have a hybrid event to celebrate and commemorate these significant dates.
We will also be thinking about two 60th anniversaries from earlier this year. May 25, 1963, marked the founding of the Organization of African Unity, now called the African Union. On April 20, 1963, in Kampala, Uganda, the All Africa Conference of Churches held its first assembly.
Bread for the World has partnered with these Pan-African partners and continues to do so with its mission and vision to end hunger and to address the wealth and income racial equity gap.
At this moment, Bread believes the reauthorization of the farm bill is a policy that addresses equity, nutrition, and sustainable life—vital issues for Black August.
Pan-African communities can and will continue to speak out, advocate for, and show their historic resilience and resolve to address these issues from a faith perspective. Bread celebrates Pan-African leadership as we partner to end hunger.
Please visit www.bread.org/offering-letters/ to learn more about the farm bill and to advocate for it.
Angelique Walker-Smith is a senior associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church engagement at Bread for the World.
