Welcome to this fact-laden, episode of Light ‘Em Up.

As we go to air - we're halfway through Black History Month.

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, first established as "Negro History Week" by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in February 1926. The 2026 national theme is “A Century of Black History Commemorations”, honoring 100 years of recognizing the achievements and contributions of Black Americans to U.S. history.

Black history is American history!

We feel richly blessed and highly favored to sit down and visit, honoring Black History Month, with a dear friend of ours and a show favorite. Dr. Sandy Womack, Jr.

Dr. Womack Jr. has devoted his life to being a servant leader, educator and striving to be the best at whatever he attempts. He is an NCAA All-American wrestler with a doctorate in educational leadership, author, former principal, district administrator, equity trainer, motivational speaker, and much more.

He is retired from his current role at the close of January (2026) after a generation (33+ years) of dedicating his life to urban education.

This year’s Black History Month arrives as our democracy is being tested in unprecedented ways, and the future of the republic hangs in the balance.

Dr. Womack expressed grave concerns that we are “in an in between place similar to the times during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War (1865 – 1877) where the Federal Government sent in troops to ensure that the freed Blacks had and maintained the right to vote, to assemble, and the rights to a public education”.

Based on reports, executive actions, and policy initiatives from 2025 and early 2026, the second Trump administration has pursued a broad agenda focused on rolling back diversity initiatives, changing civil rights enforcement, and altering educational and economic policies that critics argue disproportionately affect Black Americans. And federal agents are arresting journalists (Don Lemon) and gunning down civilians in the streets.

In this exclusive interview, we’ll drill down on:

— Assessing the pulse of the country — where are we as a nation and as people with the recent killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis?

— The importance of taking an active role in the franchise (voting) how voting “changes policy, policy impacts practices and practices impact politics”.

He feels deeply that the future “depends on the youth of today” — to see wide eyed the abuses and oversteps by this administration which will “serve as the catalyst to push the younger generation to the polls to vote in large and impressive ways”.

He stressed the importance of “collectively coming together” and working to find some “communality” — at the end of the day, we have “more things that unite us than divide” — we sadly choose to focus and give attention to those aspects that are tribal and exacerbate division.

We’ve strayed beyond an inflection point — democracy is actively in peril.

“We have to become students of history. We have to read, write, speak and most importantly be able to think critically” to be educated and informed sufficiently to question the current status quo — for those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

He emphatically declares that: “Outcomes won’t change until incomes change.” He urges all who will listen to “don’t let your lying eyes fool you”.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” ― George Orwell, 1984

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