This week we read parshat Bo. Bo features the last three plagues and the Israelites exodus from Egypt. Sound familiar? We repeat this completed story every year at Pesach. Why? There’s a simple answer. Not only does it remind us of where we came from and how our ancestors were freed from slavery, but, we retell this story so that it may never happen again. It is our job to reread history, notice the signs early, and stop them in their tracks.
In our history classes, we are often told that history repeats itself. When we don’t learn from our past mistakes and experiences, we are doomed to repeat them. It’s no secret that 2020 was a rough year, but it was also an incredibly powerful and emotionally charged year. We saw a rise in activism, people finding their voices, and people educating themselves and adjusting their point of view to better themselves.
This is a picture of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom – August 23, 1963
Sometimes history repeats itself because we haven’t learned from our mistakes, and sometimes we never fixed our problems in the first place. That’s what we saw this past year. We haven’t been able to better ourselves as a nation because we have yet to move on from our past actions and mistakes. We tell the stories of our nation’s history, but we often leave out important details or tell versions of these stories that are skewed to favor one perspective over another.
This week is a special week. This week we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy. We honor all the hard work he did to try and make our nation a better place for all who live here. He was assassinated before he could complete all that he wanted to, and the beliefs of the white supremacists who murdered him are unfortunately still alive and well today. This is why we see history repeating itself; because we never got rid of the problems in the first place. On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the official blog for the website Tumblr shared media company NowThis News’ powerful post from this past summer to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and show the similarities between his 1963 march on Washington and the 2020 march on Washington which was led by his son and Rev. Al Sharpton.
Monday wasn’t just a day off to lounge about and do whatever. It was a day for us to honor Martin Luther King Jr, to learn about him and all he did for the country, to learn about the civil rights movements going on (not just the one from the 60s but the one we are living through today). Take some time this week or next week to learn. Pay attention to what is going on right outside your doors.
Wednesday was Inauguration Day. The beginning of a new chapter with new leadership. While we may celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. on the third Monday of January, our work for justice is required on all 364 other days of the year. We used our voices to ensure this new administration and Congress, and now we must continue to use that voice to keep these newly elected officials accountable. Our work never ceases.
By the time this gets posted, our nation will have a new president. We are living through history in the making every single day. It just so happened that all of 2020 and so far 2021 decided to pack a whole bunch of historic moments all in the span of a little over a year. Yes, it’s a lot to take in, but don’t ignore it. We can’t learn and better ourselves without remembering what we have gone through so far.
This is a big week for our nation, pay attention. You never know when life will throw a pop quiz your way and we don’t want to make the same mistakes for another 60+ years, now do we?
Until next time, stay safe, wash your hands, and wear a mask.
Love,
Amanda and Marissa
