Black August uplifted as alternative Black History Month
By ALMAZ ABEDJE
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — To many, February is the month dedicated to celebrating Black Americans’ contributions to a country where they were once enslaved. But Black History Month has an alternative: It’s called Black August. First celebrated in 1979, Black August was created to commemorate Black Panther Party member George Jackson’s fight for Black liberation from prison. Fifty-one years since Jackson’s death, Black August is now a monthlong awareness campaign and celebration dedicated to Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals and political prisoners, both living and deceased.
