Black History Month still essential in today’s society

I don’t know why we need Black History Month. Every time February rolls around, there is an ominous foreboding about the importance of the black people’s history. I mean, we know that the only two important people in black history are Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. One said, “By any means necessary.” The other said, “Little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” End of lesson; we know everything about black history.
We know of the middle passage and countless atrocities that are documented in history. We also honor those who experienced those tragedies like any group that experienced a great evil. We know the names of all nine children who faithfully marched into Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. and set the stage for school desegregation everywhere. We know that Charlene Hunter and Hamilton E. Holmes were the first African-Americans to desegregate the University of Georgia. And the first African-American woman to attend Georgia College and State University was… Are you drawing a blank?
I’m sure all of our teachers explained bussing to us and school closings due to forced integration. The protesters against integration were both white and black. I’m sure we all learned that African-American and European-American race relations are intertwined and the history of how our races relate is as significant as founding dates like the day the Declaration of Independence was signed and the day the Civil Rights Act was signed into law.
The history of African-Americans is a reflection on the social consciousness of America. The experiences of African-Americans expose American history that perverts the dream of justice and establishes an unjust hoax for all Americans. Events in black history not only paved way to an end of injustice for African-Americans. They are also significant because the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an important event in black history, ended legal discrimination based on gender, religion and nationality. This moment paved the way for a better America. So in way, black history is the history of a better America. And don’t let us forget all the other groups that are considered to have special history including Asian-Americans, women, Arab-Americans, Caribbean-Americans, Latin-Americans, Native-Americans, and Africans who immigrated to the U.S., or any group that has endured hardship due to those who pervert the dream of America.
And when this other history comes up in classes and is narrowed down into two people and a maybe a few pages about civil rights, the hoax of America is undeniable. Until there is equal coverage of all history in education, I know there is a need for a special month where at least for 28 days the contributions of “the other” are honored just like the contributions of Middle-Aged white American males. And I’m sure when you go to class today, your professor will tell you about an African-American’s contribution to your specific field of study.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 16 2007. Filed under Perspectives. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry