It seems that at some point every February, someone will question the meaning, purpose, and existence of Black History Month.1 The argument usually starts with a discussion of the existence of race as a social construct and ends with the prescription that racism would end if Black people would stop talking about it so much.2 Despite my admitted bias, I think that Black History Month continues to have value—not only for Black people in this country, but for all of us.
I am a white person as prone as anyone to the resentments that spring up when we must deal with troubling aspects of our own story or outlook. So in my head, if not always in my capricious heart, I am grateful for such a calm and well-argued reminder of why Black History Month matters.
I am all for Black History Month (especially for the reasons enumerated here) if there is equal billing for Hispanic, Asian, Native American, etc., Months. There will be no true equality in this country unless EVERY race is accounted for/held responsible in the “Good, Bad, and the Ugly” paradigm of this country.
i no longer believe that black history month is a good idea, especially for college students who are unavoidably impressionable and vulnerable…racial tensions on one or more of our campuses seem to flare up every february, and why wouldn’t they, when innocent black kids are being spoon fed the idea that they are victims, and everyone is discriminating against them…during last year’s black history month flare up at andrews, no-one could cite an actual, tangible, and current grievance…it was conjured up images of persecution in the past that fomented agitation that forced the president to apologize - i still haven’t heard what for - and led to the formation of a vice presidency that no doubt will be looking for reasons to justify its existence…
black history month, and other reminders of race-based slavery and mistreatment that is far in the past, prevents black kids from assimilating and moving on in life with a clean slate…why should today’s black kids be forced to carry the scars of generations who are in the past…why should they feel obligated to shoulder pain that they, themselves, have never experienced…they should be free to be innocent, and to nurture the feeling that they belong to a multi-racial community…they should be allowed to learn lessons from their own experience…
i think it’s unwise to have the past forever intruding into the present, constantly informing people that they don’t belong…the fact that jason wrote this article at all implies that he has perceived the widespread burn out from black history month…i don’t see that black history month has improved black-white relations at all…
I have questioned black history month in the past. I’ve even equated it with other, and stupid, months like “Save the Vaquita month”. For a laugh, see https://rowman.com/page/ChasesNEW There’s a month for everything. Toasters? Sure. Fly fishing? Of course. There are more special months than patron saints.
But I have changed. This post, I think, represents my current thinking well:
True. Inevitable. Diversity of race construct breeding social mistrust and tension.
However, each colour, each anatomy, each multiculturalism protect their ancestral water holes, economic pragmatic freely open the Silk Roads to social integration win win shared wits interdependency triumphant , to all these getting along construct empathetic to the developing arrival of fresh, fragile destiny - the future young generation of every colours.
Belong to a race a colour is pride.
Remove the apologists.
To apologize to another colour for being your uniqued colour lay the foundation for future bigots offence.
Your social whimper walks with destruction not construction.
Nothing happens unless first we dream. America is social construct of DREAMERS - Full of it! America dreamers are the hues of God’s Morning Rainbows - crystal prism colours full spectrum - from black to white.
America’s social construct philosophy should read…
MY PHILOSOPHY IS I’M RAISING FUTURE ADULTS, NOT CHILDREN.
I believe Black History is still needed. Black History in the USA involves white history. When President Obama was elected I was tempted to think we were on the verge of a post-racial breakthrough. President Trump’s campaign springboard of Birtherism demolished this fantasy. Some neoConfederates still are fighting the Civil War. They are proud of their Confederate heritage, the Confederate flag, etc. Thus, they deny that slavery was the root cause of the War; they deny that slavery was “all that bad.” In our new era of “alternative facts” this is like denying the Holocaust. Black History in February is like having the Sabbath to remember Creation.
