submitted by Anna-Marie Visser, Director of Communication/Education, Right to Life of Michigan

February is dedicated to celebrating Black History Month which was recognized officially in 1976 by President Gerald R. Ford. Many celebrate the awareness month by honoring individuals in the black community who created change and stood up for equality like Martin Luther King Jr. or Justice Thomas Clarence. It is also a time to remember people who aren’t famous but still make an impact in the Black community like physicians, teachers, pastors, and parents.

This year, the theme for Black History Month is “Black Health and Wellness” and while the U.S. works toward a more robust future, it is essential to remember that health starts in the womb.

As prolife people of all colors and backgrounds, we mourn the 19 million members of the Black community whose lives were ended before they could take their first breath. We mourn the women in the Black community whose “health and wellness” are being exploited by the Abortion Industry in the pursuit of profit. We mourn for the women suffering from post-abortive syndrome who abandoned by their neighborhood Planned Parenthood who once was so welcoming and eager to “serve” their community. We mourn for the women who fell victim to the lie that abortion will fix their problems, keep their relationships together, and secure their equality.

Around the country, the Black community is being honored and their history remembered. But how can we honor the Black community and simultaneously erase their future by the millions? How can we remember history when over 19 million of them will never get to be a part of it?

In 2020, there were 26,801 abortions among Michigan residents and 14,854 of those abortions happened within the Black community. While Black women make up only 14% of the female population in Michigan, they had 55.4% of all Michigan abortions in 2020.

We cannot celebrate Black History Month without making these horrendous facts known. If we want to honor and celebrate the Black community, we first need to start by fighting against the mass killing of Black babies and putting an end to the Abortion Industry’s exploitation of black mothers and women.

One way we can celebrate Black History Month is by encouraging life within the community to ensure there is a history to look back on. Helpinthed.org is a website that encourages life by offering resources for mothers. This resource is focused on families in the Detroit area.