When we were stolen, there was no concern about where we were from, what business we owned, what our talents were, what languages we spoke, or even our names. When we arrived on this stolen land as stolen people, we were never given our history back and to this day all members of the Black diaspora continue to search desperately for those pieces of ourselves that were taken away. Black history month, during the 28 days of February, is crammed into the shortest month of our calendar. Although it is a month overshadowed by New Years bliss and Valentines day, we must dedicate this period of time to reflection, learning and celebration about those strong Blacks that came before us.
The Most Forgotten American Celebration
In primary school I always hated history class. I tuned out until the Civil War period where I could finally see faces that looked like min in my textbooks. In college, every year our BSU would try to plan events for Black history month and we could barely make the cut. As students were just getting into their Winter quarter classes those short weeks would fly by before there was enough time to plan, organize, advertise and conduct a Black history month event, not to mention the low turnouts due to my university’s 6% Black student population. I’ve gone many February’s without coming together with others to celebrate the holiday.
Forgotten in Stores
Wouldn’t it be nice to walk into the mall and see products dedicated to Black history (from BOB) for sale: like frames of Black poetry, books by Black authors, shirts with powerful Black figures and other types of memorabilia all together in the ’Seasonal Section’. But instead of seeing aisles full of Black History, I see valentines day candies and chocolates. I’m always puzzled with how consumerism chooses to exasperate a 1 day event over a month long celebration, but then I remember none of the stores in my area are Black owned and maybe that’s apart of the problem.
Forgotten in the Media
On television there’s the occasional commercial with Black people in it. Sometimes there’ll be a marathon of Martin or a playing of The Wiz on BET. I’m baffled by how little we do as a society to learn and celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans during this time, then I remember our accomplishments are not valued in this society. I must recall the fact that our community accomplishments: voting rights, civil rights, affirmative action policies; are usually considered an attack on White America, so then why would they be celebrated?
Why don’t I get the ‘privilege’ of being taught my history?
Carter G. Woodson historian founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History
Throughout American history the accomplishments of Blacks have been taken by White America as detriments to society, they’ve always been reduced and devalued. When 1926 Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian, announced the second week of February to be Negro History Week there were only 3 states (NC, DE and Washington D.C.) that incorporated the announcement into their calendar. This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which dates Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century. It’s interesting, how Douglass’ birthday celebration has now been drowned out (even within the Black community) by ‘Valentines Day’. I’d ask our community to reconsider the importance of recognizing the birth of Douglas over the holiday built upon consumerism. The original intent of Negro History week was to focus on teaching African American history in public schools, a task we continue to miss the mark on even today. Many of our students continue to suffer in public schools which focus on a Eurocentric curriculum. Woodson believed that teaching Black history was essential to ensure the physical and intellectual survival of the race within broader society:
“If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization.”
Students at Kent State University piloted the fight to expand the period of celebration to the full month of February and in 1976 came the expansion of Negro History Week to Black history month. Yet, we can see how our lack of knowledge of the history of our people continues to cripple us us a community today.
Are we taking Black History Month seriously?
Even when other people around us are oblivious to this period of learning and celebration, we must embrace it. We must take it upon ourselves to seek the knowledge that we need to succeed. We need to know about the history of those who came and fought before us in order to do the work that is necessary to push forward generations to come after us. No one is going to teach us about us, so we need to teach ourselves and each other. I challenge my brothers and sisters to find a new fact about the history of African Americans each day this February, I’ll be doing it with you. With this new knowledge of our history that we are gaining each day, we should be coming out of this month feeling stronger and more powerful than the month before.
I’ll list my facts below as the month continues:
- February 1st- 1926 Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian, announced the second week of February to be Negro History Week
- February 2nd- 57 Years Ago, My Father born under Jim Crow
- February 3rd- Why Hide My Skin, Blessed with Melanin
- February 4th- The Right ‘Type’ of Activist to Push Forward Civil Rights
- February 6th- My Birthday Used to Reflect on the Victims of State Violence: Black Lives Lost
- February 7th- Black Hair Big Business My Past-life Madam C. J. Walker
- February 8th- Barack Obama’s Presidency worked to ‘Barrack’
- February 9th- Spiritual Gift of Strength in Civil Disobedience
- February 10th- Why I Haven’t Seen Hidden Figures (2016 film): Protecting Our Stories, Our History, Our Lives
- February 11th- Esther Jones’ Stolen Boop: A White Woman’s Fame built on a Black Woman’s Boop
- February 13th- Black Enough to Die, but Not to Live: Historic Black Oppression in the Military
- February 14th- Tell Your Valentine, “Happy Douglass Day” The Historic Holiday Among Former Slaves
- February 15th- Record Setting Black Athletes during the Jim Crow Era
- February 16th- The Assassinated & Forgotten Civil Rights Leader Who Paved the Way for MLK
- February 17th- The History of Blacks in the Circus from the Unpaid Sideshow Slave to the Ringmaster
- February 18th- No Law Protected Our First Black Female Prosecutor: Murder Case Left Unresolved
- February 20th- Presidents Day in Black History Month: Remembering Black Presidential Candidates
- February 21st- Malcolm X Assassinated Today: The Leader They Failed to Mention in My Euro-centric Education
- February 22nd- Detroit’s Motown is My Family’s Black Owned Record Label
- February 23rd- Johnnie Lou Gaudy Carithers: My Grandmother’s Part in Black History
- February 24th- My Black History: Grandaddy Deacon Eugene “Sweets” Wilson
- February 25th- My Grandmommy, My Cherished Treasure
- February 27th- H.B.C.U’d Better Think Twice
- February 28th- The Pursuit of Black Excellence Never Ends
