Black History Month: abused or accurate?

Malia Kabwe, Staff Writer

My thoughts on Black History Month are complicated. It is important to have a month that highlights the achievements and heritage of an under-represented group but that is not enough. February should not be where it ends. Black history is an integral part of American history. Its lack of prevalence in the educational system is obvious. Black people should not have to settle for a month of brushing over repetitive stories and speeches.

My earliest memory of Black History Month in education is from elementary school. An older black man in a suit strolled into the auditorium to recite an excerpt of “I have a Dream’.’ Then I remember the same thing happening the next year, and the next. Same message, different historical figures, usually entertainers or athletes. A long history of black adversities, culture, and contributions crammed compactly into twenty-eight days.

Black Americans celebrate February as a time to highlight our achievements. As important as a month of celebration is, it is not sufficient for education. It expands further than the stories of Martin Luther King, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman. Black people contribute more than great athletes like Michael Jordan and Jackie Robinson. President of the Black Student Union, Brooklyn Alexander (’23), shares similar beliefs.

“We endure and experience things on a daily basis that other races will never be able to understand. The fact that we only have a month to remember black history shows that we haven’t come far as a country at all. Black history should be in our textbooks and learning curriculum and not just the hardships. Black people alone have contributed more to this country than most people seem to realize,” Alexander said. 

Alexander brings up a great point about the hardships of black people being the only focus of Black History Month. Despite those hardships, black people continue to come together and achieve greatness. For example, Roger Arliner Young was the first black woman to receive a doctorate in Zoology. 

Black people should have a designated space and time to commemorate themselves. As Alexander said, February should not be the only time when we are allowed to celebrate ourselves openly. This month is often used as an opportunity to manipulate the Black community, as if we;re being told: “You have a whole month? Why isn’t that enough?” How does a month encapsulate 400 years of history? The public often attempts to commodify Blackness during this time. Instead of truly making a change or even acknowledging their shortcomings, corporations make cheap spectacles out of black culture. We receive Black History Month-themed Adidas as a substitute for real progress. The month has become less about the history and more about corporations making a profit.

To support black people and communities, a single month out of the year will not be adequate. Black history should be as integrated into the educational system as white history has been. The accessibility of black achievements needs to expand beyond February. 

“The shortest month of the year, only 28 days, is not even close to the true recognition black people deserve,” Alexander said.