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Right now we’re celebrating Black Futures Month, a visionary
celebration of Blackness in the month of February where we dream
forward, claiming new Black stories in the world to come.
Celebrations of Black love and Black Americana — recently from
artists like Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar — claim Black expression as a
core part of America. They’re a way of fighting back against a
dehumanizing past and present.
Love is a deeply human emotion. It means seeing yourself in someone
else’s humanity and the humanity of all people. When the
fascists are out here trying to dehumanize so many of us, love is a
weapon we can use to fight back.
When Frederick Douglass claimed Valentine’s Day as his birthday, he
claimed, for his own story, a day associated with love. So today, on
his birthday, let’s honor Frederick Douglass.
Let’s turn to those around us — to those close to you, to your
neighbors, to strangers, and especially to those whose safety is being
threatened as we speak — and say:
I love you enough to demand that your life mean something
in America. I love you enough to see you. I love you enough to fight
for you. I love you enough to see myself in your struggle, and you in
mine.
WATCH:
We claim love. Happy Frederick Douglass Day.
 Graie Hagans
Chief Vision
Officer, Bend the Arc
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