Black History Month: Q&A with Ashley King

Riverside, Calif. (Feb. 27, 2023) – This week, as we continue to celebrate Black History Month, we spoke with Ashley King, graduate admissions counselor

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month is a time to celebrate and reflect on the goodness of God in the past, in the present and in anticipation of His goodness in the future.

 

Why is it important to celebrate the month?

Prior to President Gerald Ford signing Black History Month into law into 1976, Carter G. Woodson, educator and historian, launched Negro History Week in 1926. The weeklong celebration of African Americans laid the foundation of what later became a month of celebration. The objective of Black History Month is aimed at providing a comprehensive platform for celebrating the vast history, culture and accomplishments of Black Americans. To that end, Black History Month should challenge them to do great things in their respective spheres of influence. For the wider majority, Black History Month should result in significantly decreasing racial prejudice.

 

Which Black leader in history has had the greatest impact on your life and why?

Dr. Kenneth C. Ulmer, a scholar, author and renowned pastor-teacher, is a champion on Biblical racial reconciliation in the church. He points out that God has entrusted the church with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). To that end, Ulmer has inspired me to take seriously the mandate of reconciliation. For as I have been reconciled to God, I have in turn received the ministry of reconciliation.

 

Why is it important to use Black History Month as a time to reflect on, think about and celebrate Black history and culture?

While Black History Month is a time to celebrate the contributions of all African American leaders, it’s especially vital to praise God for the ministries of Black pastors, preachers and ministers who have served as both spiritual and moral leaders within African American communities. They have been instrumental in providing guidance and facilitating hope during the challenging eras of slavery, segregation and racial discrimination.

 

Is there anything you’d like to share about your own culture or being a part of the Black community?

In Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream” speech, he shares his vision of Black and white children playing together and not being judged by “the color of their skin” but by the “content of their character.” To that end, it was never King’s dream that ethnicity and culture would be deemed irrelevant (or for people to be colorblind). Instead, it was Dr. King’s hope that ethnicity and culture would not be the reason for discrimination.

 

Additionally, in Galatians 3:28, the Apostle Paul insists that “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ.” Paul’s point is that being a Jew does not make one more of an heir to the promises of Christ than being a Gentile. For that reason, being colorblind is not the goal. To not recognize one’s ethnic background and culture is to negate that which God affirms (Psalm 139:14).