Influencer: Why we celebrate Black History Year

Every year in February, Americans celebrate the noted inventors, genius creators, talented artists and storied leaders of African and African American descent.

But in our household, here is why we celebrate black history year.

As parents, we know that Raegan and Audrey will need to have a varied, diverse and dynamic education especially being familiar with the history of their own ancestors. However, we have collectively decided that we would not teach our daughters "color". Unfortunately, we know they will eventually be exposed to "color" and race, and they will have to deal with the negative aspects that accompany.

Why we avoid calling people by "color"?

Therefore, at their present ages, in an effort to preserve the purity of their hearts, we have intentionally avoided using language such as "black person", "white person", "African-American", "Caucasian", "Asian", "Hispanic" etc. Yep, you may be scratching your head at this point of the blog post. But that's ok. We are far from being perfect parents. We just choose to focus on laying a foundation that is rooted in recognizing that all human beings are created in the image of God and that He intentionally didn't create everyone to look just alike. The richness in His creative cultural diversity is something we celebrate. And we feel that the innocence of a child does not see race - they are taught race.

This is just the way in which we have been led to parent our children for now. So you will have to decide what's best for you and your family. As no two families are exactly alike.

Every month of the year, undoubtedly in February, we make learning about many American legends fun and educational. Simultaneously, we get to brush up on our historical knowledge. We also learn facts that we either forgot or never learned growing up. But, we do it all year long.

As you can see from the likes of Raegan, these photos are from a few years ago. She was three years old here. We are about to celebrate her sixth birthday.

We read stories, perform specific historical events, visit museums, make music, and color coloring sheets. These history lessons include Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Mae Jemison, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Billie Holiday, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Misty Copeland, Serena and Venus Williams and more. Raegan has especially loved learning about Dr. King, Dr. Jemison, and Misty.

It's so easy to make learning fun. Just check out books from your local library, pull out some crayons or coloring pencils, and print out a few coloring sheets right at home. Education made easy!

Carla Williams is an ABC11 Influencer. Check out her website, glamourandglue.com, here.