should there be a black history month?

We’re halfway into Black History Month and some are wondering how helpful this designation is. Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal Constitution doesn’t mince words,

It’s not merely that a short month set aside to commemorate black achievement is a curious and old-fashioned appendage, like rabbit ears on a TV or a rotary dial on a telephone. It’s worse than that: The commemoration is a damaging form of apartheid, setting the contributions of black Americans aside as separate and unequal. It sends the wrong signal to all Americans, black, white and brown.

Princeton professor Melissa Harris-Lacewell believes Black History Month should be kept intact, but expresses some ambivalence about the way it gets acknowledged.

It as though the entire country gets stuck in a “facts about black folks” way of imagining history. Black history becomes just a way to name the black bodies who have appeared at various moments in our national story. It’s like a Where’s Waldo game with black people. Boys and girls, can you find Crispus Attucks? How about Harriet Tubman?

This morning on NPR’s Morning Edition author and screenwriter John Ridley gave the most compelling argument I’ve heard for keeping Black History Month.

Now, I happen to agree that Black History Month is a set-aside. But the reason it’s set aside is because even in 2009, most schools do a poor job of integrating black history — or Hispanic history or Asian-American history — into their yearly curriculum. Are kids really taught about the Nisei brigade or Executive Order 9066, the Trail of Tears or the National Farm Workers Association?

In other words, until Black history (or Hispanic and Asian history) is seen as our shared American history February remains a critical reminder of the many names and histories that haven’t been told. Ideally, perhaps, Black History Month could serve as a reminder of the many signifcant parts of American history that have been ignored and as an impetus to reclaim these historic people and events as part of our common story.

David Swanson

February 17, 2009

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Black History Month

16 responses to “should there be a black history month?”

Larry

February 17, 2009 at 10:52 am

I’ve always wondered this as well. I think it had an important place in our recent history, given that civil rights were never great until just a couple decades ago…

But given the current climate, and the fact that we want to see everyone as equals; it seems to me that singling ANY group out: black, white, hispanic, asian, etc… any of that simply divides more than encourages us.

Again, I think we should honor the people who fought the fight to make life equitable for all like Parks and King, Jr., but to say “here’s a month for a color” sounds, well, silly and backwards to me. Why not celebrate black leaders (as we celebrate white leaders)? Doesn’t that sound like the most honestly level playing field? To do things as they are for everyone else? Or do we want to place special significance on one racial group, and therefore, segment again?

I’m for getting rid of it (and all minority months, for that matter) not because I feel we should not honor these people, but because we should all be united in honoring God. That God does not care about color of skin, or where one was born. God cares about the heart. And if God cares only about the heart, then who am I to think any differently?

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Jeremy Witteveen

February 17, 2009 at 12:45 pm

I support excuses to become educated.

If that means designating months to awareness, education and support, bring it.

Although, I find that many people are mis-educated or are disserviced by disinformation. I welcome opportunities to learn new things and be reminded of possibly forgotten information. It sucks that education can contribute positively or negatively depending on the source.

I encourage more excuses to learn, not less.

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Keith

February 17, 2009 at 6:22 pm

A few years ago our school district decided to do away with Veteran’s Day as a day off school. Instead of a day off, they bring real live veterans to the school to speak to the kids. They have learned more about the wars in the last few years than they ever did on a day off to honor the veterans.
I’ve advocated doing away with MLK Jr. day and having real live black folk who were part of the great migration, who suffered under Jim Crow laws, who couldn’t use a bathroom because they are black, who…etc. come into the schools and tell the kids what they experienced. They will learn far more than a day off. Also, I think MLK Jr. would be livid if he learned that kids got a day off of school to honor him.

As for a month of Black History…the stuff the kids learn about black history should be part of the history curriculum. We shouldn’t take time aside to learn black history, just history throughout the year. It can be construed as demeaning to set aside a month to learn about blacks. Do their contributions not warrant being in the regular curricula? Of course they do.

I keep mixing Bob Marley’s lyrics with MLK’s words. Bob said, “Until the philosophy that the color of a man’s skin is of no more signigicance than the color of his eyes, me say war.” MLK said something like “the color of a man’s skin should not be more important than the content of his character.” Those who are avid Bob and MLK fans, forgive my butchering. But, by setting aside months and days for a color is not consistent with Bob or MLK’s words.

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David

February 18, 2009 at 8:45 am

A question for Larry and Keith, both who seem to prefer doing away with Black History Month: Is there a place for this month given that much of African American history has been overlooked? Or, do you think that these historical inconsistencies have been corrected and American history is now adequately representative?

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Keith

February 18, 2009 at 8:13 pm

I’m sure history will never be adequately representative: not for blacks, for Christians, Italians, etc. I don’t think we need to highlight black accomplishments just because we opressed them. We opressed Chinese and Japanese during WWII and we don’t have a month for them. Granted 200 years of opression is more noteworthy than five years.
In my idealized mind, we shouldn’t have to point out that Duke Ellington was a great musician and he was black. His accomplishments should stand on their own and we should not wait until February to point them out. It can be construed as being demeaning.

I’m also not sure that black history has been overlooked. What has been overlooked? I learned about slavery during high school. I’m sure I learned more stuff but there’s a lot I’ve forgotten…both black and white history.

Our states set school curricula. They can make sure there are lessons about prominent blacks just as they ensure we learn about Columbus (who didn’t discover America), Native Americans (to whom we introduced biological warfare), and other groups. We don’t need a month, just teach the important stuff in school and don’t highlight the race. Highlight the content of their character, regardless of the month.

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otakudad

February 18, 2009 at 11:37 pm

I don’t think ANY part of history is entirely accurate. History is written by the oppressors, the victors and those who are remaining in power.

So history is almost always incomplete. I definitely feel there is a lot of history for African Americans that doesn’t get taught enough. However, is that the job of a special month? Or is that a matter of changing school curriculum and history books?

Actually, I just read Keith’s comment… I guess I’m in total agreement there. We don’t need a special month. We need balanced education. When whites were significant in history, teach that. When Asians were significant in history, teach that. When African-Americans were significant in history, teach that. When Hispanics were significant in history, teach that… you get my point. Where there is history, teach it. Where there is not, don’t.

I honestly feel that in trying to be “racially sensitive” we are more often continuing the problem. Let’s just treat EVERYONE the way we want to be treated. Let’s celebrate heroes and fight against villains. Let’s unite as people, not as “races”. Yes, cultures differ. Yes, we have things that make us unique. But I am NOT defined by my color. Nor is anyone else. I am defined by my beliefs, my actions, and my God who created me uniquely.

There’s nothing wrong with diversity. Absolutely. But it’s so “duh” that we really don’t need to keep harping on it. Soon we’re simply celebrating diversity instead of the people. Soon, we’re praising equality more than people. This, well… it kind of disgusts me, honestly. Modern America is SOOOOO focused on being politically correct. Of being ethnically diverse, in our congregations, in our television commercials, in our whatever. We fall over ourselves to be “equal” when we’re really being preferential.

We simply need to live and love. We do that? Everyone WILL be treated equally, and without pretense and without agenda. It will be natural and honest and you know… actually equal. Not forced equal, which in my mind, is not equal at all..

Sorry for the soapbox, but I dunno… this kind of stuff really bothers me.

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cathy

February 19, 2009 at 1:34 pm

I’m frankly surprised at the number of responses that seem to suggest that having a month to celebrate the history of a particular culture (Black, Asian, Hispanic, etc.) is regressive and/or pandering to political correctness.

The reason I appreciate Black History Month (and Asian-American History Month and Hispanic-American History Month) is because it gives an opportunity for folks who identify in these groups to present their perspectives that may not have been represented in your typical school curricula or in the media. I agree that history will never be adequately representative, for many reasons. One event can and will be recalled and interpreted differently by different people, and certain details will be important to some and irrelevant to others. The fact is that your experience and upbringing (and not just race or ethnicity, but socioeconomic class or even era in which you live) shape the way you see things.

I’m glad to see that people here believe that we’re all equal and we should focus on unity, but this sort of colorblindness does a disservice to all. Even though I believe that most people are truly goodhearted and America has come a long way, racism is not dead. To have the intention of treating people equally is not the same as actually being equal and ignores the fact that many groups still face inequality and injustice. Yes, slavery has been abolished for 200+ years, but are all blacks truly “free” when so many are trapped in cycles of poverty, violence, and lack of opportunity in the inner cities?

Keith wrote: “We opressed Chinese and Japanese during WWII and we don’t have a month for them. Granted 200 years of opression is more noteworthy than five years.”

I bring this up because this is an example of where Asian-American history month would make people more aware of, well, the history of Asian-Americans in this country. Japanese-Americans were put in internment camps during World War II, yes, but Chinese-Americans were treated like slaves on the railroads in the 1800s, and Chinese and Japanese weren’t even allowed to become naturalized citizens. That’s hardly only 5 years of oppression.

I’m an Asian-American, I live a very privileged life and would hardly consider myself oppressed, but growing up being portrayed in the media as a buck-toothed nerd with a thick accent or an exotic seductress (also with a thick accent), having watched my brilliant, hard-working dad passed over for promotion after promotion for decades, and seeing pictures on Facebook of my white niece making “chinky-eye” faces with her friends indicates to me that Asian-Americans still aren’t being treated equally. So celebrating History Months is a positive step in educating people about their fellow Americans and hearing about their unique experiences we can all learn from.

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cathy

February 19, 2009 at 3:51 pm

P.S. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is May.

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Keith

February 19, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Cathy: Thanks for correcting my words. I had no idea that there was an Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. At my corporate work place we don’t have a couple Asian vendors each week come in to sell their wares like we do during February for Black History Month. Are there other ethnic months of which I’m not aware?

Is there a Native American Month? We put various races into slavery and prisons. The Native Americans…we stole their land, slaughtered them, killed their food source so as to starve the people, got them drunk, gave them blankets that were used by people who died of small pox (biological warfare), forced them onto reservations, introduced them to glue and antifreeze, forbade them from hunting in their traditional ways, raped them, provide myriad other diseases, and much much more.
Perhaps we can’t speak of the great accomplishments of Native Americans because we wiped them out and forced them on reservations with substandard education and no hope to live so they die from drinking ethylene glycol and sniffing glue.

Well, that’s a cheery message. Sorry for the downer.

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David

February 19, 2009 at 6:44 pm

Thanks for adding a significant perspective Cathy. This seems to be a critical part of this discussion:

I’m glad to see that people here believe that we’re all equal and we should focus on unity, but this sort of colorblindness does a disservice to all. Even though I believe that most people are truly goodhearted and America has come a long way, racism is not dead. To have the intention of treating people equally is not the same as actually being equal and ignores the fact that many groups still face inequality and injustice.

If I’m reading this correctly, because we live in a society that does not treat all people equally it is important to highlight those who have been overlooked and marginalized. This opinion differs with some other comments that see setting aside a month for any ethnic group as hindering equality. The difference in opinion, it seems to me, lies with an understanding of how fair and equal American culture currently is, and not just with our history of racism and oppression.

Thoughts?

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Otakudad

February 20, 2009 at 12:59 am

Cathy, I understand and appreciate your perspective.

I guess what hangs me up is that the entire purpose of the “month” is to focus on differences. You see those differences as something to be upheld and wonderful. I wouldn’t disagree. However, I think anything that focuses on differences fosters more division.

And to David’s idea that we’re talking about a difference of recognizing history versus current climates…

Well, I guess my thing personally is that history doesn’t mean much to me other than the lessons we learn:
-Nuclear war is devastating and terrible. Really, all war is terrible.
-Anyone can make a valuable contribution to society – color has no say
-God’s people tend to forget him and disobey – be vigilant
-America was founded by the hard work of many people from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds.
-Slavery is wrong and terrible.

All of these things are lessons taught by history. Sure, individuals made these contributions, but is praising that individual forever something worth doing? I guess I’m really wary of people worship, and will always go to the opposite extreme to avoid it. I’m happy to tell someone that they did a great job at the time, but years later? If it was a significant moment in the history of human-kind? Awesome. But it’s that moment that’s significant, not that it was so and so who did it!

I have no problem recognizing the efforts of anyone in history. I just don’t see the value in making a fuss about what race they were, unless that race was specific to the event. Tubman, Parks, and King, are notable because it was their race’s place in society that was their battleground. So their race is important because IT WAS the issue in history. But just because a scientist who made some very important discovery was hispanic, white, asian, or whatever… who cares what race they are? Does the fact that a black person found the next subatomic particle, make that particle much more of a scientific miracle? No. And to imply that it does diminishes the person who discovered it. It’s like saying: “Look what this person did, despite being _____!”

Does that make sense?

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Otakudad

February 20, 2009 at 1:03 am

And sorry to double-post, but I guess too it may be useful to determine what criteria we’re using to determine “ending racism”. Because to me, that looks like this:

Race/Color is completely irrelevant. Heritage is completely irrelevant.
Positions, Pay, government rank, etc… all of it has nothing to do with race or color.

And to me, I don’t see how one can ever expect to get to that point, unless we stop focusing on the differences, and instead appreciate our commonalities and shared purpose.

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DAN

February 22, 2009 at 3:26 pm

MY KIDS HAVE CAUSED ME TO RECONSIDER MY THOUGHTS ON THINGS LIKE BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND THE EVERYBODY COUNTS PROGRAM.
ON OUR TRIP TO THE LIBRARY LAST SATURDAY MY 1ST GRADER WAS INTERESTED IN PICKING OUT BOOKS ON SEEING EYE DOGS AND A VIDEO ON HELEN KEELER NOT JUST THE USUAL STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE BOOKS. THESE CHOICES WERE DEFINITELY IMPACTED BY THE EVERYBODY COUNTS PROGRAM EARLIER IN THE WEEK.
THERE WAS ALSO THE COVERSATION I HAD WITH MY THIRD GRADER ABOUT SOME FAMOUS AFRICAN AMERICANS THAT I HAD TO ADMIT I WASN’T AWARE OF. I FOUND MYSELF BITING MY TONGUE WHILE SAYING A GUESS YOUR LEARNING THAT AS PART OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
IN BOTH INSTANCES I FOUND MYSELF THINKING THAT WAS PRETTY COOL AND MAYBE I HAVE BEEN TO CRITICAL OF THESE TYPES OF PROGRAMS.
AS AN ADULT I THINK I GAIN GREATER IMPACT THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS THEN LEARNING ABOUT FAMOUS PEOPLE.
LIKE THE KOREAN WOMAN I WORKED FOR WHO TOLD STORIES ABOUT HOW HER AND HER HUSBAND WOULD BE MISTAKEN FOR THE HOUSEKEEPER OR LANDSCAPER CERTAILY NOT THE HOMEOWNER. THEY WOULD ACTUALLY PLAY ALONG WITH PREDUDICES AND END UP WITH THE LAST LAUGH.
THEN THERES MY AFRICAN AMERICAN BROTHER IN LAW WHO HAS MADE ME AWARE OF SOME OF THE SUBTLE PREDUDICES AND HOW HE DEALS WITH THEM. LIKE RARELY WEARING JEANS INSTEAD DRESSING UP. OR WHY HIS DRIVE FOR SUCCESS IS RELATED TO THE FACT AMERICANS HAVE LITTLE PROBLEMS WITH WELL TO DO AFRICAN AMERICANS.
ANYWAY I THINK BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS LIKE MOST ANYTHING IN THAT IT IS BEST IN MODERATION.

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stanford

February 28, 2009 at 2:33 am

History selected for white men. Institutional emphasis encourages us to investigate parallel narratives. I support it.

What’s more, our highly segregated, suburban evangelical churches could use a good black CHURCH history. Surprisingly, in addition to American slaves, abolitionists, and pastors it could also include Augustine, Tertulian, and Athanasius.

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David

March 1, 2009 at 11:11 pm

Well said stanford. I particularly appreciate your second point. I suppose it’s up to those of us who preach and teach to make sure these historical voices are heard.

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Wadzi Muzwidzwa

September 16, 2010 at 2:35 pm

The argument that Black History month is invalid simply does not stand to me. The fact of the matter is, African and African American youths are coming up in a society that does not adequately teach them of their roots; and it is a truth they need to understand if they are to develop well in their identities.

Facets like Black History Months allows them and all Black people the chance to reflect and better understand their beginnings and thus, themselves.

To celebrate Black achievements is not to downplay any other race nor is it a way of saying “you can achieve despite being black” as someone stated. It is a way of remembering the considerable gains that have been made and honoring the resilience of a people that have come a long way in history.

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