Hilarious Moments In Black History Still Impact The Culture Today

Shirley Chisholm and Donald Lee at NAACP convention in 1971

Source: Newsday LLC / Getty

Black folks can find the humor in any given situation. As we celebrate traditional figures like Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman and Malcolm X — let’s not forget the lesser known people who’ve also had an impact on African American culture today. This time, we’re not talking about the brave, inspirational folks who marched for freedom or created inventions that we can’t live without to this day.

We’re talking about the low-key, undercover legends whose small successes in the past opened the door for us to enjoy the little things in life, in a major way.

@Shy_Clown tweeted, “In Black History, we honor Bubba Smith, the first black man to slap his mama after eating some good ribs.”.

And let’s not forget about Victor:

There are lots of stories like Bubba’s and Victor’s out there. Like young Tessa Higgins — the first woman to dismiss someone using the phrase “Girl Bye.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfL3RVrFtgu/

But the jokes don’t stop there. Obviously, there’s so much more to Black History that can’t fit in just one month or a series of meme. It also doesn’t help that Black History Month is celebrated in the coldest, shortest month of the whole year. But as we honor our traditional heroes this month, there’s no harm in adding a little humor to the mix.

After all, isn’t that what we’re known for as Black folks: turning lemons into lemonade. As the Ron White quote says, “I believe when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade…and try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.”