In this episode, with the month of February arriving, we dig into Black History Month.
Black History Month was first proposed by Black educators and students at Kent State University in the late 1960s, then the first commemoration was at that college in February 1970. It later moved to become a national event.
There are lots of ways the month is marked, as schools and colleges and organizations and churches hold events. We will talk about some of those, along with issues of the black experience in America, and much more.
The guests on this show on Black History Month are Monique Scarlett, Margarite Reinert, Terry Schrank and Celeste Sudduth-Triplett.
Monique, Terry and Celeste have roles with the NAACP Sioux City organization, and Margarite is an academic and social worker.
They share notable events that are happening over the course of February in Sioux City concerning Black History Month, including the February 17 event at Morningside University, "Coretta Scott King, Her Life And Songs."
The four discuss ideas on how they believe people should commemorate Black History Month, and what it is like to be a person of color in 2026, amid a period of pushback against diversity, inclusion and equity.
Scarlett said the local NAACP chapter is seeing rising cases of discrimination: "Oppression has filtered back into society."
Reinert noted a resurgence of "the othering ... It is violent and frankly scary."
Schrank, Sudduth-Triplett, Scarlett and Reinert also ponder their picks for most esteemed Black person notable to American history, and also those critical to leadership in Sioux City.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 93.
