Black History Month has come to an end — a month set aside each year to recognize and honor the contributions that Black and African American individuals have made to our country and the world. I cannot stop thinking about what my ancestors and what they had to endure throughout history. But history is not that long ago – it has only been 61 years since all people were granted the right to vote by law. The ripple effects of change move throughout our communities, but we have not come as far as most believe. Kevin L. Booker Jr. Over the past month, we have seen and observed several incidents of racism and hate. On social media and news outlets, people are very comfortable sharing toxic, negative, racial epithets about people of color. In New York City on February 10, during a NYC Community Education Council meeting on Zoom, Allyson Friedman (an associate professor at Hunter College) said racists remarks about Black students. She said she was teaching her child about racism and did not know she was unmuted, but her remarks were heard during the call. In another incident, in London, UK, at the BAFTAs, Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were on stage when an audience member shouted the n-word. The individual has Tourette syndrome, which was blamed for his use of the word. However, there was a two-hour delay between the live event being recorded and airing on BBC television, in which the producers could have edited out the word. Warner Bros asked the BBC to edit the incident out before it aired. They edited other elements out before they were televised; however, did not edit out the racist outburst. The BBC also left the video up online for 12 hours before taking it down. Currently in Springfield, Ohio, people are relating 2026 to a time synonymous with the Underground Railroad. Thousands of Haitian immigrants live in the community protected by the Temporary Protective Status for Haiti, which allows Haitians to legally live and work in the U.S. because of the violent unrest in their own country. President Trump’s administration was set to end the temporary status on February 3, but a federal judge blocked the ending of the protection. Many people in the community have rallied to support their Haitian neighbors by creating space in their homes to serve as a refuge. Leading up to the decision, many Haitian families pulled back from daily life out of fear of I.C.E. Students stopped attending school and people stopped attending worship services at their churches. These fears were also caused during the 2024 presidential campaign, where Trump continued to lie that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating people’s pets. Hate still exists and is allowed to live and thrive in our environment. It has become acceptable behavior; people are given passes for unacceptable actions, words, and behavior. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s, men and women stood up against this hateful rhetoric, and they are models for us to exemplify in our actions today as we fight against social and racial injustices in our world. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of those individuals that I think of when I look for encouragement to fight against the numerous racist or hateful incidents that I encounter. We have the privilege of celebrating the impact he had in his lifetime in January each year, with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Each year, choose to spend the day engaged in activities and events that celebrate his impactful legacy. This year, I saw and experienced resilience in a new way on Martin Luther King Day, making it the most memorable MLK Day of my entire life. In a recent visit to Israel, I had the honor of visiting the Tent of Nations, an educational and ecological family farm committed to nonviolent resistance, environmental stewardship, intercultural education, and connecting people with the land. Daoud (David) Nassar and his family own the Tent of Nations and continue the work and legacy that was started by their ancestors.  They are committed to living by four guiding principles in the work they do as they take a nonviolent stand against social and racial injustice in our world. The four guiding principles are: We refuse to be victims; we refuse to hate; we act on our faith; and we believe in justice. Meeting Nassar and learning about the legacy his family lives out at the Tent of Nations and in their community reminded me so much of what Dr. King stood for. Nassar and the Tent of Nations continue to be resilient in their fight against the Israeli government’s persistence in taking over their land. They apply these practices by educating others, sharing their wisdom and resources, and caring for the land they have been given. We too can apply these four guiding principles. We can refuse to be victims of the unjust world that we live in. We can actively act in love and refuse to hate one another. We can act on our faith by stepping up to intervene when we see or hear someone being mistreated. We can believe in justice by taking steps in our communities to create more equitable systems and structures for everyone. We can speak out against the hateful actions and words of others, like what happened in London, New York City, and Ohio last month. Taking action against injustices we see in our community is nonnegotiable. For our world to be a more welcoming and inclusive place for everyone in our community, we must not give others a pass to use hateful, negative language. We must stand up against such hate. Kevin L. Booker, Jr. of New London is a former member of the Connecticut Mirror’s Community Editorial Board. ...read more read less