We are now well into the month of February, which also means Black History Month is about halfway over. The idea of having a period of time specifically dedicated to the achievements and accomplishments of black people originated from historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926, and was only a week-long celebration until 1970. Since its establishment, there has been controversy over the need of a time to commemorate the lives of black people in this country. While some feel February may be too short a month to focus on black history, others believe the idea of Black History Month is exclusionary and, especially in today’s time, not needed in a society where we are all seen as equal. When thinking about these two perspectives, one could see the argument from both sides—black history should be incorporated into our lives every day, and black people have progressed a long way in American history. However, when arguing against the need for Black History Month, I always wonder how much the person disagreeing actually knows about black history itself.
We’ve all heard about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, but is that all the average American knows about black history? Are those names where the list of influential figures ends for most? When you learn about American history in school, the story for black people starts with slavery, ends with King, Jr., and has a sprinkling of names of slave-revolt-ers, other Civil Rights activists, President Obama, and … that’s it. This lack can be understood to some degree—a teacher only has around 180 school days to teach 400 years worth of history. With so many presidents, wars, and historical documents to get through, it can be hard to make sure students get the complete diverse story of America while also knowing the leaders and names that are pushed to the forefront. But learning doesn’t always take place in school rooms, so why would we not want to learn more on our own time about a group of people glossed over in our textbooks so frequently? Why is there a lack of interest to want to know as much as possible beyond what we have been taught for years? What about Claudette Colvin or Alain Locke, Robert Smalls or Shirley Chisholm? Where are their names when we talk about black history?
Learning about black history doesn’t always have to be about the political side of America, either. It can be about the accomplishments in pop culture, science, math, education, etc. There’s so much to know about the many firsts and greatest that have occurred, like how in 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first black person to win an Oscar for her supporting role in Gone with the Wind. Or how Garrett Morgan helped three-position traffic signals, meaning the yellow light was included, become popularized in America in 1923. The list of the firsts and the forgotten can go on forever, because these facts are constantly neglected but are relevant to the opportunities available for black people today—to be that innovator, or actor, or anything else they put their minds to.
We need Black History Month for those figures who we do not recognize all of the time, those nameless faces that have impacted our society and culture. While we can acknowledge these leaps and bounds of the black community at any time, the month itself is meant to be a period of highlighting and showcasing these triumphs in their own space—no matter how small the triumph may seem. Knowing the basics of black history is important, and building onto that information is even more essential to understanding the livelihood of the community. Black History Month shines a light on an oppressed group in order to bring the best to the forefront and to honor the legacy that the community’s ancestors have left for all of us. It's a tale of perseverance through the rough patches, and the uphill climbing there is still to be done.
