Hi I'm Malaika, Brand Manager of Arts Axis Florida.
This blog is my to my current favorites of the week. Click to the right to learn more about all my TOP of the AXIS picks. I hope from this blog you can add to your favorites of things, people, or places you enjoy!
Today we're exploring the "hidden structural beams" of our history and society and why we have to see them before we start swinging sledgehammers. Don't worry. It will make sense in 3,2,1
The Walls We Didn't Build
Imagine you’ve finally bought your first historic fixer-upper. It’s been off and on the market a few times. You know the type: great bones and incredible character, but it’s a mess. The floorboards are constantly groaning, the light switches are lighting the wrong rooms, and there’s a draft you can’t identify.
As you prepare for the renovation and start tearing out old cabinets, you find a dusty old folder: the original house plans. Finally, the history of your home. But as you flip through them, your heart sinks. Half the pages are missing, detailing some of the most important information like locations of the load-bearing beams, plumbing lines, or any updates made to the home.
You seek advice, and one friend tells you, "Just start swinging the sledgehammer! Who cares about the old plans? Let's just focus on the new paint and the granite countertops."
But here’s the problem: For years, previous owners tried to fix the house using only half information. They patched the roof and painted the walls, but putting a band-aid on big issues never holds. Without those pages, they didn't truly understand how the house worked or why it was continuing to fall apart.
Our country, our home, is that house. And history is the missing blueprints for the walls we didn’t build. For a long time, we’ve been trying to "renovate" our society while ignoring the missing pages of the blueprint. Black history, and the history of all our diverse communities, aren't just "extra" stories; they are the foundational diagrams. When we find those "missing blueprints," the cracks in our society finally start to make sense. We stop guessing, stop assuming, and start understanding the techniques and materials that actually built this place and can be used today to make better choices.
As you continue through Black History Month, I hope this reminds you to take time to learn about the history of the walls that built the space we all call home. Our beautiful, work in progress but good bones, fixer upper!
Happy Black History Month!
That’s the TOP. See you next week.
