Ledisi
Ledisi On Why She Celebrates Black History Month Year-Round
Feb. 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month, a time to celebrate the many significant — and often overlooked — contributions that African-Americans have made to the fabric of our country, including in the arts.
African-Americans have long since been integral to music, whether it's jazz, R&B, hip-hop, rock and roll, or the undeniable influences of all of these genres that have found their way into pop, rock and even country music. Think of greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and contemporary movers and shakers like Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, SZA, and Ledisi.
We caught up with the GRAMMY-nominated R&B singer/songwriter Ledisi at the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter's GRAMMY Nominees Reception to find out why it's so important to continue celebrating African-Americans in our country, and around the world.
"I celebrate being black every single day. Every accomplishment I make is an honor of my ancestry, my parents, my walk, and my journey given to me in life," said Ledisi. "I think it's very important to celebrate my culture because we're in everything. We're in the makeup of everyone's lives whether they know it or not."
So this February, and all year long, let's celebrate the innumerable ways African-Americans enrich our culture.
"I love being black, I love being beautiful and I love my culture," she added. "We have to keep forwarding that."
