Black Solidarity Day is an African American day of observance. The day was founded by Dr. Carlos Russell and first observed in New York City in 1969. The day was a result of Black activists being influenced by Douglass Turner Ward’s popular play entitled “A Day of Absence". In the play, all the African- American residents of a town in Texas disappeared for one day without anyone's knowledge.In their absence, the town experiences confusion and virtually shut down, since African Americans contribute greatly to the economy, perform necessary jobs in the workforce and contribute significantly to the well-being of the town.Dr. Russell and the other organizers of Black Solidarity selected the first Monday in November (the day before Election Day) to observe the day also considered "A Day of Absence." Strategically situated one day before the nation participates in general or local elections, the day is meant to illustrate and celebrate the total power of Black Unity.In the early years, Black Solidarity Day was a day of marches, rallies and political speeches. In recent years, knowledge of the day's existence and purpose has fallen off significantly among us except for a few hard core activists.In this period African-Americans absolutely must get back to the tradition of Black Solidarity and spend the day assessing our priorities, political and economic power, voting strategies and plans for the future.
REMEMBER THAT TODAY IS BLACK SOLIDARITY DAY!
