Do We Still Need Black History Month?

Carter G. Woodson, the Father of Black History, once commented that African American contributions “were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them.” To overcome this challenge, he founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) in 1912.  The organization has as its mission “to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.”  To help fulfill this mission, ASALH established Negro History Week (now Black History Month) in 1926.

African Americans will forever be indebted to Dr. Woodson for his bringing to the forefront, in a very visible way, the challenges and significant contributions of African Americans.  One has to question, though, whether the best mechanism to continue this work is through continuing the Black History Month tradition.

The major problems I see with Black History Month, or any other ethnically-themed month, include:

1. People tend to focus on the challenges and contributions of nonwhites and women only during their designated month.  In the 1920‘s, the contributions of Black people were not really recognized at all, so it was necessary to select a time where these discussions could happen.  Today, using one month to celebrate the remarkable contributions that African Americans have made to the development and advancement of this nation is insulting.  Black, Hispanic and Native American history is American History, and should be seamlessly woven into literature, art, science, and history books. These should not be side subjects or add-ons.
2. The “surface culture” events and programs in our cities, at our schools and at our workplaces during these designated months may lead to more marginalization from the very people these activities are aimed at educating.  Culture is obviously much more than singing, dancing, garb and food.  If not part of a broader, on-going educational approach, these events provide a very shallow understanding of different cultures, their challenges and their contributions.
3. We tend to hero-worship during these designated months.  Everyone knows Dr. King, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas.  The problem is that whenever we start naming prominent Black, Hispanic, or Native American people, we leave out countless people who have made remarkable contributions in every field of human endeavor.  There are little-known scientists, educators, engineers, lawyers, doctors, artists and writers without whom our world would be radically different without their efforts.  To highlight a few does great disservice for the rest.  Also, people like Dr. King are few and far between, to focus only on them presents a nearly impossible model for kids to emulate, regardless of race or gender.

America has always been a multicultural, multiracial society.  Our diversity should be celebrated in all of its splendor 12 months each year.