Black History Month Was and Remains Relevant!

JUST SAY'n: There is a position that Black History Month marginalizes Black history and the contributions of Black people to one month when it should be included within the total of American or World history. This position has been around for decades, however, it gained significant exposure in 2005 when, on a 60 minutes interview with Mike Wallace, actor Morgan Freeman expressed his displeasure with Black History month by saying that it was ridiculous to limit his history to a month.  In his 2012 release, "More than a Month", filmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman, again raised the issue of should there be a month only designated to observing Black history, raising the same issues discussed here and alluding to Morgan Freeman as inspiration and support for his position. 


Here is my position; There is a difference between a commemoration and everyday acknowledgement of Black history. Let me draw on a couple of analogies. People are Christian 12 months of the year, however, they celebrate Easter and Christmas as significant holidays for that particular faith. In fact you look at any major religion or faith, you'll find specific dates or periods designated for the commemoration of some aspect of that religion. 

For sure, we are Black people 24/7, 365 days of the year, but there are specific dates that we commemorate, like Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday, the ending of slavery on June 19th or Juneteenth and the Kwanzaa celebrations. Those days are not diminished by observing Black History month. 

One point raised by Tilghman was that BHM was significant while he was in grade school, however, it became mundane and repetitive as he matriculated to higher levels of education and understanding.  Rationally speaking, there are foundational  facts relative to the grade school experience for any subject and it is incumbent upon an individual to advance their knowledge of  that subject matter to a level comparable with their intellectual prowess as they mature beyond grade school education. 

Here are some reasons that Black History Month remains relevant: 

1. There is a period of each month where it is federally recognized that it must be taught in schools. If school curricula did an adequate job of incorporating the achievements of Black people into the education of all children, then a national holiday would not have been needed. That they still fail in this regard make the month long observance critical for the youth of this country. 

2. There is opportunity to shed light on Black achievement that has been re-colorized. It is important for the psyche of a people to know the full extent of the achievements of people that they can identify with. If this were not so, we would not have American or World History. When we learn the achievements of Black people throughout history, we no longer fall prey to the mindset of exclusion and limitation fostered by a less than indoctrination. 

3.  Black History Month keeps a focus on the true contributions of Blacks as told by themselves. If Blacks won't insist that the contributions of Black Americans and Black history remains significant the story simply will not be told. Not with a true reflection of the participants. We never learned that Blacks were in the western hemisphere in the form of the Olmec civilization; we didn't know that Blacks were in Louisiana, California, North Eastern South America and Peru before Columbus, but they were.  We didn't know that Beethoven, J. Edger Hoover, Jacklyn Onassis were all of mixed blood, but you would not know it if there were not more researched evidence.

Black achievement recognition is indeed significant throughout the year. We're only months away from the Ridley Scott's charade release "Exodus Gods and Kings"  of which, bank roller Rupert Murdock tweeted "Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are".  Of his all white cast, Scott stated that Blacks were cast as servants because that was their role in history.  Attitudes like these are why you need a Black History month and Black history celebrated throughout the year...interested people can and do manage to do both...
JUST SAY'n: