"Hope in the grace and love of God is a hallmark of the righteous and those who love God and are beloved by God, the ability to see light in spite of darkness, to hope instead of despairing, and to know with conviction that with every difficulty comes deliverance and ease," says Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid, Muslim Chaplain to Harvard University, and Lecturer on Muslim Studies at HDS.

"We are slowed down, yet living in a world of urgency and woe, where there is so much to be done. It is surely for the good that we are asking ourselves, 'Why do I do the research, writing, and teaching that I do?' This existential crisis may be a good one, pushing us back to the basics," said HDS Professor Francis X. Clooney, S.J.

In February of 1926, Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-education historian, had a very specific goal in mind when he established what was then called Negro History Week. He hoped, as time went along, that Black history would be recognized as so entrenched in American history that calendars wouldn’t indicate when society should celebrate Black history.

Flash forward to 1970, when Black History Month as we know it today was first celebrated at Kent State University, then 16 years later, in 1986, when the U.S. Congress officially recognized Black History Month as the law of the land,...