1 Corinthians 12:12-26 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

(Article from FEMA is below.)

Each year, Black History Month brings another opportunity to discover contributions that enrich our nation. The 2024 theme, “African Americans and the Arts,” explores the creativity, resilience and innovation from a culture that has uplifted spirits and soothed souls in countless ways across centuries. FEMA joins the nation in this celebration of the arts and artists that demonstrate the influence and resilience of these creators.

The creative impulses of Black and African American artists cannot be contained. Their impact is rooted in ancient cultures that spread around the world through the African diaspora and was carried by people who often arrived on our shores involuntarily. Yet, a people so strong, resilient and hopeful will still rise in the face of adversity. 

Black and African American cultural contributions are still being discovered and acknowledged.  We can find these contributions everywhere—from the visual and performing arts, literature, music and fashion to culinary creations and social movements. 

It is impossible to not be moved by what this culture has created:

• Extraordinary artists like Gordon Parks, whose cameras revealed an unseen America, the canvases of Jean-Michel Basquiat and the films of Melvin Van Peebles and Spike Lee. 
• The fluid movements of Judith Jamison and the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater [and Alvin Ailey himself], and contemporary ballerina Misty Copeland, who speak through the beauty of movement.
• The prose and poetry of Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Phillis Wheatley, Alex Haley, Amanda Gorman and countless others who shared and illuminated the black experience and imagination. 
• The dynamic and rich achievements for courageous musicians like singers Marian Anderson, Nat King Cole and Ray Charles, and composers Quincy Jones, Barry White, James Cleveland and Jay-Z, that emerged from spirituals, gospel and the blues to influence and shape R&B, rock and roll and hip-hop. 

Libraries could be filled with stories about those who have turned a little into a lot and “made a way out of no way.” Fortunately, many of these stories are being told through collections at places like the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the African American Art Museum of Dallas. We encourage all to seek out other celebrations and events that illuminate these achievements are taking place around the nation this month and all year long.

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