Because History Matters
All people are living histories-which is why history matters. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. Carter G. Woodson proposed Black History Month in 1926. Woodson stated, " If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated." Carter G. Woodson picked the second week of February, between the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Woodson contended that the teaching of black history was essential to ensure the physical and intellectual survival of the race within broader society.
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president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world also devote a month to celebrating black history. The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the thirteenth amendment abolished slavery in the U.S. President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."
One of the greatest tragedies of American history was the myth that America could flourish without blacks, flourishing as people. Black Americans fought to establish themselves first, as people. Black History Month is one way we as a nation can commit to the study and celebration of a history of change. A history of freedom, equality, and justice denied. A history of oppression, opportunity, and of contradictions and compromise. Black History Month is a time to celebrate black arts and literature and black
When people hear African history their initial thoughts are slavery and segregation, yet there is more to African history than those two events. The reason why many people would only know the American portion of African history is because that is what is predominately taught in most schools. In the movie Hidden Colors 2: The Triumph of Melanin, it goes deeper into the cultural beginning of the African history. As mentioned in the film “90% of African history makes up everything”. Hidden Colors 2 is an exceptional and informative documentary that extends to telling the hidden truths behind the suppression of the black culture.
Most public schools in the United States kept it simple and straight to the point. They taught, what we know as, “Black History” from the media’s standpoint. This concept neglects the true meaning of black history in the educational system, making it hard for African Americans to be prideful in who they are. Knowing history other than what the school systems tells us African Americans would not only give us more knowledge, but would allow us to stand up against others when try to put down our history. Media gives us mainly negative perspectives with very little positives of our
How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston is a hilarious account of Baratunde’s life coupled with input from “The Black Panel” (which included one white man to keep things diversified). It’s through his comical approach that the reader is forced to look earnestly and seriously at the issues the black community faces every single day. Baratunde starts by having the reader asses their “celebratory skills” concerning Black History Month. This introduction is both humorous and engaging, pulling the reader deeper into memoir. He then addresses many stereotypical questions and assumptions around black culture, including swimming, emotions, careers, school, drugs, Africa, names, “level of blackness”, and more. He shares memories of his mother and father, experiences being the “minority” in a mostly white school, and dealing with Nigerian’s who refused to accept his name, not to mention his participation in an Ankobia program taught by Pan-African activists. By the end
African Americans who came to America to live the golden dream have been plagued with racism, discrimination and segregation throughout a long and complicated history of events that took place in the United States dating back to slavery to the civil rights movements. Today, African American history is celebrated annually in the United States during the month of February which is designated Black History Month. This paper will look back into history beginning in the late 1800’s through modern day America and describe specific events where African Americans have endured discrimination, segregation, racism and have progressively gained rights and freedoms by pushing civil rights movement across America.
As an African American, I am delighted to see my history acknowledged but when information is not being broaden and explained correctly people are still left ignorant. If Black History Month is going to be celebrated, then present it the right way. It doesn’t have to always be about killing, depression, and what occurred fifty years ago. African Americans should continue to update their presentations on black achievements every year. Something fresh and new needs to be displayed instead of the same people and situations year after year.
In my perspective, I believe that the African American experience was an important piece in history because they were used as slaves because of their race, this tension lived for centuries. In document C it states that “ One of them asked me who I belonged to. I told them no one, so him and two others struck me with a stick
Black Press Day, otherwise known as Freedom’s Journal, was the anniversary of the founding of the first black newspaper in the US. It was established the same year that slavery was abolished in New York State. It changed African Americans forever or colored people. Black Press day is Freedom's Journal, the paper that serves to counter racist commentary published in the mainstream press. It also provided its readers with regional, national, and international news and with news that could serve to both entertain and educate.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When most Americans hear that name the first thing that comes to mind is his “Dream”. But that is not all he was. His life was more than a fight against segregation, it was segregation. He lived it and overcame it to not only better himself but to prove it could be done and to better his fellow man.
The Black History Month is guided by racism, which is still prevalent in the U.S. One of the reasons why this month is full of racism is the first reason that Morgan Freeman puts cross, which is relegating a race’s entire history to a month. This simply shows that the whites view the blacks as people who have had the least contribution in that country. This is because the entire history of the black population is taught to the children in this month implying that all the achievements made by blacks are so little that they can be analyzed in a month. The other reason why the Black History Month shows racism is the idea that it was fixed in the shortest month of the year to further show how few the accomplishments made by blacks are. Since the accomplishments made by the blacks are only taught during this month, it shows that the teachers would not have to bother themselves with it any other time throu...
At 17, the young man who was called by history to reveal black history was an untutored coal miner. At 19, after teaching himself the fundamentals of English and arithmetic, he entered high school and mastered the four-year curriculum in less than two years.
When exploring African-American history, the most important things to focus on are that because of the times, black people were enslaved and treated poorly. They endured it all and worked hard to rise above the boundaries of slavery and prejudice. However, the most portentous aspect of African-American history is that it's heritage; it's history; and it's over.
Of course, we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold, which will take more than a month to learn about. The Fight for Freedom and Rights When Afro-American’s came to America in hopes of having a better and easier way of life, and after they arrived, it was a total opposite of what they expected. The following are a couple events that took place in different locations for the fight for freedom and rights. The first was Bloody Sunday which took place in Selma, Alabama. This particular event was the march of black activists from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
Culture carries the history and stories of those who belong to that culture. History is deeply embedded in African culture. No matter what region of the world people of black descent can relate to African culture. The differences in culture found in the different regions of the world come from the diaspora of black identity and because of this African culture is home. America is heavily influenced by African culture, the history of slaves in America is the main reason why black culture is an important aspect of America's history. In Michelle Hay text, “Popular culture : pan-African dimensions : a survey of scholarship”, she touches upon the spread of ideas and history that ultimately black people around the world seek even when they aren't
The Black Community is suffering from the oppression of history. The issues African Americans are facing today are a direct result from slavery and is a major significance to American society. Slavery, racial discrimination, and Aryan hierarchical mentality, has an effect on the African American community today by causing and influencing negative circumstances educationally, economically, and socially based on skin color, closed minded perceptions of beauty, and skin tone division as a whole.
Everybody knows about black history month, it comes every february of every year. This is a month designated to black people and their history. Many people rejoice and celebrate during the month, for some it may fuel their fire against blacks, others may stand on the sideline watching as things happen. In schools, teachers usually try and at least talk about the month, or even mention it in their daily routine.