Black history lives on in Odessa

When Permian High teacher Angela Love attended school, there were very few pages of history attributed to black Americans.

Descriptions of Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. synopsized the influence of the entire ethnic group in public school texts.

“If you were to look at history books even 10 to 15 years ago, most black Americans and their contributions were absent,” the history teacher said. “Our story was not being told.”

But today that’s changing, and with February recognized as Black History Month, Love and many others will pay special tribute to the accomplishments of past and present black Americans.

Several Black History events are scheduled this month throughout Odessa.

Love helps sponsor the Permian Black History Club of 20 to 40 students, which is conducting a dinner and program with dancing and singing on Feb. 26 in the school’s cafeteria.

“The students are going to display some of their talents and abilities, reciting some poems and reading about some accomplishments of black Americans,” she said.

Black culture will be displayed in many of the month’s activities, but Love said the events stand for more than just singing and dancing — it’s also an appreciation for the historic contributions that blacks have had on society and look back on how they’ve overcome.

“When it comes to American history, it took all Americans to create the history that’s developed,” she said.

Odel Crawford, president of the Black Chamber of Commerce of the Permian Basin, said this year’s Black History Month in Odessa is busier than ever, and he encourages the community to attend everything.

“We have a very colorful history,” he said. “This is an opportunity for us to observe that, but I am a proponent of black history all year long.

“Black Americans have contributed much to America as a nation and to the entire world,” he said.

Many of the events incorporate educational information with food or entertainment to spur fellowship and unite the community.

Love said that even Odessa’s history is testament to the need for cooperation from all people and all races.

“In order to survive in West Texas, they all had to work together and not waste time fighting — it’s necessary still today for us to come together,” she said. “We need to celebrate our similarities, appreciate our differences and embrace our oneness.”