We have one weekend left in January before we begin black history month(where did January go??). Teachers will preach the standard lessons about King's dream, Rosa's refusal to give up her seat and the road to the Civil Rights Acts. Black College Students will embrace their afrocentric roots while white students learn about "little known black history facts." We raise our fists in the air and sing old negro spirituals. Black history month has been celebrated for decades and many of the celebrations have become mundane and lacking. Many of them can best be described as lazy and just plain boring. Dont mistake my words for disrespect but it hurts me to know that instead of embracing Dr. Carter G. Woodson's legacy and researching our history to find previously unreported accomplishments we focus on the easy to find facts. I for one would like to hear more about black inventors and business owners.
There are brewing controversies surrounding black history month (mostly led by older people). Some want to change the name to "African American History month" while others think we should do away with the whole celebration. On the other hand, there are initiatives for celebrating black history everyday and implementing the lessons learned on a daily basis.
Well you know how I feel now its your turn. Tell us how you REALLY feel about black history month. As a member of the younger generation do you believe it is still necessary? Does celebrating it mean we don't have to embrace black history everyday?
The platform is yours...
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