It’s February. You know what’s exciting about February? No, not Valentine’s Day — it’s Black History Month.
When I think of Black History Month, I have flashbacks from middle school where my teachers would talk to us about George Washington Carver and how he invented peanut butter, or Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist who advocated for slaves. And let’s not forget Martin Luther King, Jr.
Whenever Black History Month was mentioned in class, I remember everyone would swivel around to look at the black kids in class as if to say, “This is for you.”
In high school, it was even worse. My high school basically just pretended that Black History Month wasn’t a thing. They skipped right to Valentine’s Day. So now here I am, at a four-year institution of higher education and Black History Month is as non-existent here as it was whenever I was in high school and middle school.
Don’t get me wrong; I am fully aware of the events that will be happening this month, like the Black Issues Conference (which I plan to attend), but we all know who’s hosting and advocating for that event — black people.
For some reason, there’s this widespread idea that Black History Month is only for black people. I mean, to some extent I can guess why people would think that. The whole reason that we have to have Black History Month is because for centuries, black people were dehumanized and oppressed.
If you were black, you were told you were stupid and incompetent. For hundreds of years, that was engrained into the minds of black people, especially children. We need Black History Month to highlight the achievements of black people in this country despite people telling us we would never achieve anything.
I know this might be hard to believe, but despite what you might have been taught in eighth grade, black history didn’t start with slavery, and it most definitely didn’t end with the abolition of slavery either. In 1976, the U.S. government officially recognized Black History Month.
Black people had already been celebrating black history since the 1920s, but the U.S. government didn’t think it was important enough until the ’70s. I mean, it’s the least they could do right?
Black history is American history. Black history is your history. This country was built on the backs of black slaves, and American soil is drenched in the blood and tears of black people.
If you live in this country, you are benefiting from the labor of black people. So this month, I challenge you to learn something new about black history. Enlighten yourself — you might be surprised with what you find.
Hawa Henderson is a senior in microbiology. She can be reached at [email protected].
