This month is a special time of the year for me, not exactly like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but a time to reflect on family and the legacy that was left behind by my great grandfather, Charlie Sharp.

My great grandfather was born in the 1800s and was an indentured slave. He overcame many struggles in his lifetime. He understood what it meant to be rich whether in family, spirit or financially. He always made the best of any situation and worked hard with the hand he was dealt. He worked and made many sacrifices to achieve his goals in life. Charlie Sharp knew that with hard work and strength from God above there was nothing he could not accomplish for his family.

Through his legacy there were seeds that were planted with love, and nourished with respect. This is evident in his children and grandchildren and great grandchildren, which I am one of. From Charlie Sharp there was a wealth of knowledge and a foundation that helped shape, mold and build what we would become -- with the sky being the limit.

The first lesson we learned was to have faith and believe in God; that there's nothing that couldn't be provided, as long as you accepted the way it was provided to you. The second lesson that was instilled in us was hard work never killed anybody and what didn’t kill you would make you stronger. The third lesson was respecting yourself and those around you because respect begets respect and with that would come honesty. Fourth, love one another and help thy neighbor, which was a little funny because all of their neighbors were family!

All of these lessons/virtues made his children, which by the way, he had eleven of them. And they needed his lessons as there were many situations that they would be confronted with!

Even though he was an indentured slave, Charlie Sharp was able to purchase well over 2,000 acres of farmland. But this land did not come without consequences and struggles. He worked over 20 hours a day to manage his property. He was not able to spend a lot of time with his family, except when everyone was working on the land, and even then, he had to worry about vandalism and hate.

But through all the hardships, struggles, aches, pain and plenty of hard work, there was always enough love, joy and happiness to go around. And these virtues were passed down to his children (my grandmother), her children (my mother) and her children (me). Even without really trying it’s been instilled in my daughter whose kindness and love for others is uncanny. The magnetic effect she has on those around her comes from the respect that exudes from her. Her diligence and hard work helps her persevere, and whether she knows it or not, her children shine bright and are loved by one and all because of their illuminating smiles and their willingness to accept everyone and try different things. The respect they show their elders and friends is always apparent.

I’ve said all this about my ancestors and my family so that maybe you will understand why I’ve been invited to write this article about my history for Black History. This month is not about the color of your skin, but the struggles we go through in life and virtues we learn along the way: LOVE, RESPECT, HARD WORK, and DEDICATION. This should be instilled in us all.

Because regardless of what ethnicity you are, somewhere there was a struggle. What’s important about the struggle is what was derived or gained from it, as well as how it was passed on to you, and the way you pass it on to others. It’s about how you pass on to the next generation your accomplishments and hardships and how we can continue to shape ourselves and our families and everyone we come in contact with to make this great country of ours even better.

This legacy derived from Black History Month. May it bring JOY, PEACE, RESPECT AND HAPPINESS to us all!

Carrie Smith is the proud mother of one daughter and grandmother to two children. She lives in Oakland, California.