The Pros and Cons of Black History Month
Many people over the last few years have spoken out against Black History month. One of the most recognized is Morgan Freeman. "I don't want a black history month," Freeman said, "Black history is American history." And Freeman is 100% right. In a world where political correctness is something to strive for all the time, why are we singling out black people and giving them an entire month to celebrate their history while we spend an entire year learning about old white guys in history?
It's not only Black History Month, either. There's Hispanic Heritage Month (September), Women's History Month (March), LGBT History Month (October), and Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May). And that's probably not all of them (I remember seeing something about a Confederate History Month somewhere). I think, if we're so concerned about equality, why not make a White Man History Month and only learn about them during their month? Probably because there aren't any months left.
But what are the pros to dedicating an entire month to the history of one race in America? Think back on everything you learned about Black History in Elementary School. You get a skewed picture of slavery, Harriet Tubman singing 'Sweet Chariot', the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks refusing to get up on a bus, Martin Luther King Jr. saying something about dreams, and Ray Charles singing about some guy named Jack. It's not exactly the ideal picture of history. If we didn't have Black History Month, would they go any deeper into the historical Black experience than the fact that Black people were once slaves, couldn't vote, and couldn't play professional baseball? They'd probably be too busy talking about chopping down cherry trees and Lincoln's wooden teeth (or was that Washington too?)
The fact is, we don't live in enough of an open minded society to not have to delegate months for different races, cultures, and backgrounds. Frankly, I'm glad we have Black History Month. It keeps our children from getting a one sided story of history and it teaches them that there have been notable people in history from all backgrounds. Until we live in a place where the curriculum can be all encompassing, without prejudice, I'll continue to stick up for Black History Month and you should too.
It's not only Black History Month, either. There's Hispanic Heritage Month (September), Women's History Month (March), LGBT History Month (October), and Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May). And that's probably not all of them (I remember seeing something about a Confederate History Month somewhere). I think, if we're so concerned about equality, why not make a White Man History Month and only learn about them during their month? Probably because there aren't any months left.
But what are the pros to dedicating an entire month to the history of one race in America? Think back on everything you learned about Black History in Elementary School. You get a skewed picture of slavery, Harriet Tubman singing 'Sweet Chariot', the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks refusing to get up on a bus, Martin Luther King Jr. saying something about dreams, and Ray Charles singing about some guy named Jack. It's not exactly the ideal picture of history. If we didn't have Black History Month, would they go any deeper into the historical Black experience than the fact that Black people were once slaves, couldn't vote, and couldn't play professional baseball? They'd probably be too busy talking about chopping down cherry trees and Lincoln's wooden teeth (or was that Washington too?)
The fact is, we don't live in enough of an open minded society to not have to delegate months for different races, cultures, and backgrounds. Frankly, I'm glad we have Black History Month. It keeps our children from getting a one sided story of history and it teaches them that there have been notable people in history from all backgrounds. Until we live in a place where the curriculum can be all encompassing, without prejudice, I'll continue to stick up for Black History Month and you should too.
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