Image: Activist Malcolm X holds up a paper for the crowd to see during a 1963 rally in New York City. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

It’s that time of year again, Black History Month. Well, we’re actually on the last few days. But I made it just in time. Only, these aren’t normal times. Black History Month–like just about everything else–is under attack, by the same destructive forces of bigotry, racism, and hate that inspired its very creation. So, looks like the past is prologue. But get ya’ chin off ya’ chest. Hold your head up. This ain’t the first time we’ve had this fight. And Black History Month can help us understand where we are, how we got here, and how we can survive, fight back, and overcome this dark moment.