Welcome back to BlackLight, a reflection on the Black Experience for Black History Month. In the immortal words of Deltron 3030, “We came back. In fact, we were always coming back.”

We join you this February to dig a little deeper – BlackLight 201, if you will. We’re continuing on our journey to dismantle white supremacy through education, reflection, and action. Every day, at every moment, white people benefit from the legacy of slavery and a system that still disenfranchises those that are considered “other.” It is our responsibility to tear this system down.

If you missed the first year of Black Light, welcome. Black Light started as an outpouring of ideas from four friends (Brian, Lauren, Lucianne and Renée) because we wanted to learn, read, understand, share, grow (rather than throwing our hands up and feeling only despair), and wanted to share the journey with you.

We urge you to visit the earlier posts (which we, completely without bias, think are pretty okay). For those of you joining us for a second time, hello again. You’ll notice a few differences in this season. For one, we’re starting a book club. Your four co-authors are reading W.E.B. Du Bois’ “Black Reconstruction in America.” We’ll periodically reflect on our reading together, and encourage you to grab a copy and read along with us. We’re also introducing a weekly segment on change-makers: people whose actions and spirit we can all learn from.

A Black light has shone on these shores for centuries. It has, for better or worse, made modernity possible. Black people have been victimized, but they are not victims. They have have been enslaved, but they are not slaves. They have been cast down, but they rise. 

Together, let’s raise all people up in equality and raze the barriers and the biases. Rise up.

— Brian Nord, Lauren Biron, Renée Hłozek, & Lucianne Walkowicz: co-curators, BlackLight