Once again, Black History Month is upon us. And regardless of how short the month is in comparison to the other eleven, I'm glad that when February arrives, I constantly see black individuals take pride in their racial identity and honor the achievements of important black figures. We take so much pride in black history because our history is rarely ever taught to us in a traditional classroom. Whereas in a traditional school curriculum, history regarding European affairs and how it inevitably led to the formation of what would become the United States of America. However, history pertaining to people of color, specifically black people in this instance, are often not included in that curriculum. And if it is, a majority of the time black history is either briefly discussed or it is offered as an elective, not part of the core curriculum.
When I talk about black history, I'm not just referring to the history of black people in America. Instead, I'm referring to history about black people all over this world. If I were to go out and ask a random person what they know about black history, I'm positive that the most they'll tell me will relate to either slavery in America or the Civil Rights era. That's not a bad thing though. Knowing the history regarding those rather dark periods in American history is important, but it's worth noting that there is a lot more to black history than just the plight of black people in America.
As much of an advocate of black history as I am, even I have to admit that there is a lot that even I don't know. But every time I learn something new about black history, it not only interests me, but it also encourages me to learn more. In regards to the history of my people in which it can be traced to the continent of Africa, it's sad that I barely know anything about the history of that country. Me, a black person, knows more about European history than I do about African history. I could tell you a plethora of information regarding the Italian Renaissance or both World Wars, but it shames me that I could tell anyone about the greatest kingdoms of Africa and/or the great leaders to have emerged from the continent.
To me, black history sheds light on a group of individuals whose achievements and accomplishments are either glossed over or simply ignored. I can name important black individuals in this country and discuss what they did and how they contributed to society or made life better for others. To me, names like Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Jackie Robinson are almost impossible to forget. I've learned what each of them has done and the significance of their accomplishments.
Learning about how they accomplished so much in the face of adversity because of their skin color serves as a reminder for black people like me that the color of our skin is nothing more than just a pigment. My brown skin will not be the reason why I can't make positive changes or achieve success in this world. Those historical figures proved that, and that's why learning the history of them is important. But that also makes one wonder what it would be like to learn and understand the history of black people in other parts of the world. If the history of several black figures in America can serve as an inspiration for black people to continue pursuing their dreams and ambitions regardless of whatever obstacles they may face, imagine what would happen if black history from all over the world could do.
That would definitely be one for the history books.
