Ask older African Americans if the contributions of blacks were
highlighted in textbooks, school curricula or the nightly news when they were
growing up, and the answer you'll likely hear is a resounding no. For
centuries, the role that blacks, not to mention Hispanics, Native Americans and
Asian Americans, played in shaping American society was left out of history
books. To counteract this problem, historian Carter G. Woodson campaigned for what was
known in 1926 as Negro History Week. Later, this week morphed into Black
History Month, a time for the nation to recognize the major milestones and key
figures in African-American history. But in today's society, where blacks are
widely represented in U.S. government, popular culture, literature and
elsewhere, the need for Black History Month has been called into question. Is
Black History Month still relevant, or worse yet, is it racist? The benefits
and drawbacks to celebrating black history may be more complex than you think.
The Argument for Black History Month
The United States is now headed by
its first president of African descent. Moreover, blacks are widely represented
in government, literature, film, athletics and other arenas. Given this, is it
still necessary to set aside a month for the express purpose of celebrating the
accomplishments of African Americans? Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates and writer Raina Kelley
have both argued in Newsweek that Black History Month deserves to be
celebrated, as it not only connects blacks to the struggles endured by
forebears but also addresses the progress still to come in the black community.
"These sorts of gestures are
necessary to reclaim the past," Gates explained in Newsweek. "Black
History Month has been very effective in resurrecting the stories of our
ancestors and in integrating those stories into our history. But we're not even
on the horizon of the time to end Black History Month. When as many Americans
are as familiar with Harriet Tubman as they are with Paul Revere, then we can
talk about ending Black History Month."
Kelley noted that she understands why people,
even African Americans, question the need for Black History Month, but stresses
that the month can remain significant by highlighting the challenges facing
black America at present.
"Rather than wasting time bemoaning the existence of Black
History Month, why don't we use it to proselytize for the issues that need to
be more fully covered and understood the other 337 days of the year-such as
failing inner-city public schools, institutionalized poverty, health-care
disparities, and job discrimination?" Kelley asks. "Black History
Month is a measure of how fully or accurately our story is being told and a
reminder of the work yet to be done."
When President Barack Obama proclaimed February
2010 African American History Month, he echoed some of the sentiments expressed
by Kelley and Gates about why such a month should be acknowledged.
"Each February, we recognize African American History Month as
a moment to reflect upon how far we have come as a nation, and what challenges
remain," he remarked. "…In the volumes of black history, much remains
unwritten. Let us add our own chapter, full of progress and ambition, so that
our children's children will know that we, too, did our part to erase an unjust
past and build a brighter future."
The White House makes the celebration of Black History Month
relevant by adopting a different theme for the month each year. For instance,
the theme for 2010 is "The History of Black Economic Empowerment."
Such a theme encourages Americans to look back at how African Americans became
entrepreneurs and skilled workers in spite of virulent racism, while pointing
out how blacks can navigate the business and employment sectors today.
In his 2010 proclamation of
African American History Month, President Obama pointed out how his
administration aims to help blacks, and all Americans, by giving credits to
small businesses, slashing tax breaks for companies that outsource work and
giving breaks to companies that create jobs domestically.
"We are also reinvesting in our schools and making college
more affordable, because a world class education is our country's best road map
to prosperity," the President remarked.
If Black History Month is used as a platform to outline strategies
to help the black community continue advancing, the 28-day celebration can
remain relevant. And if the enormous challenges the black community has already
confronted are spotlighted during Black History Month, African Americans may
have faith that they can continue making progress. Despite potential benefits
such as these, Black History Month continues to have its detractors.
The Argument Against Black History Month
Critics of Black History Month argue that the celebration is
shallow, racist and "ghettoizes" black contributions to America in
one 28-day period. For instance, Black History Month is a time when children
learn about black inventors and pioneers such as Benjamin Banneker, an astronomer; or Madame C.J. Walker, the first self-made female
millionaire. While those studying Black History Month are grilled on the names
of African American pioneers, they receive little background on the historical
context these heroes lived and prospered in despite deep-seated racism.
Moreover, students learning about Black History Month may not understand the
significance of Dr. Charles Drew reportedly inventing blood plasma. Without proper perspective, a
student learning about Black History Month is armed with a list of names and
inventions and little else.
Another reason Black History Month has come under fire is because
some consider it to be racist. But is it? Perhaps Black History Month
would be racist if its aim was to point out that blacks were superior to other
groups. However, Black History Month functions to highlight the oft-overlooked
accomplishments of African Americans. The reason there's no White History Month
is because the accomplishments of whites and their contributions to society are
showcased all year long. In short, Black History Month's goal is to raise
awareness.
"Thus, it works in
exactly the same way as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October or Gay and
Lesbian Pride Month in June," Kelley writes.
Some critics argue that Black History Month isn't racist because it
singles out a particular racial group but because it seems to relegate
celebration of African Americans to a mere 28 days. While Black History Month
founder Carter G. Woodson designated February as a time to honor blacks (the
month contains the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and former President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the
Emancipation Proclamation), he believed that the need to have such a month
would one day prove unnecessary. He hoped that African Americans would be so
thoroughly integrated into U.S. society that their contributions would no
longer require singling out as the years passed.
Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman has taken to task the
fact that the U.S. still celebrates Black History Month. In a 2005 "60
Minutes" interview, Freeman called
Black History Month ridiculous. "You're going to relegate my history to a
month?" he asked. "I don't want a Black History Month. Black history
is American history."
Historians such as the late
Ronald Takaki and the late Howard Zinn tried to include the history of African
Americans and other racial minority groups in their revisionist writings about
American history. While the works of Takaki and Zinn are popular, especially in
college courses, the standard history books continue to prominently feature
whites while relegating racial minorities to the margins. Until the
contributions of minority groups are the focal points of history books rather
than footnotes, the need for Black History Month, Asian-Pacific American
Heritage Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month and the like will remain
strong.
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