While it might be the shortest month of the year (uncoincidentally), the significance of the last 28 days celebrates the overwhelming contributions and achievements we as black people have made to not only this country, but the world.
I believe the concept of Black History Month extends far beyond history, but is significant in the fact that it shows us how far we have come, and how far we still have to go.
In hindsight, it appears that we have taken one step forward when in actuality, we keep taking two steps back. Celebrating the accomplishments of black people for three weeks only perpetuates the façade of equality if no equality is actually taking place.
With Black History Month, I wonder; what are we actually celebrating? And how does this benefit me, as a black woman?
In elementary school, Black History Month meant performing plays about Martin Luther King Jr. and making finger paintings of black and white children holding hands to put on display during parent’s night. To be honest, at the time, the only black people I thought even existed for me to idolize and look up to were MLK and Rosa Parks.
In youth, there is a touch of pristine innocence that stays uncorrupted until you reach adolescence. With age comes knowledge, so it makes more sense now that the extent of my history in this country is not restricted to the invention of peanut butter. Everything seems to be roses and daises when you cannot comprehend what is really going on around you.
As I get older, I’ve begun to realize that while Black History Month is dedicated to celebrating the important contributions we as black people have made in science, entertainment, politics, art, and more, it should also be about confronting the atrocities, horrors, and plight black people have struggled to overcome, and the cultural scars left on black people.
We cannot pretend that everything in this country is gravy when black bodies are still the most disposable in society. We cannot pretend that black people and white people are on the same level of equality when we still have racial discrimination in the workplace, police brutality is rampant, and cultural appropriation is at every corner.
It would be a flat-out lie to suggest that these current social problems are not interconnected with the struggles of being black in America over the course of this country’s history. We as American citizens have a very long way to go when it comes to conceptualizing our history, and recognizing that Black History is American History.
In understanding that black history is American history, we have to realize that we are not yet done with moving forward. While we cannot rewrite history, we can begin to change the narrative. I believe it will take years because despite the progress we have made, we have to analyze the many mistakes made as well.
A smoke and mirrors effect is perpetuated every February with CNN specials and HBO documentaries. While I would like to believe that I am more of an optimist than a pessimist, it’s time to stop feigning equality and love for the marginalized for 28 or 29 days so that the oppressors can feel good about themselves.
We have a long way to go, and I do not believe it will happen overnight. I honestly don’t even believe it will happen within the next twenty years. However, change starts with an initiative. We as a society have to want to change. Black history cannot be reduced to just a few short days in an attempt to stifle black outrage by saying, “At least we gave you this”. There is so much more work to be done; so many more fights, conversations, and wounds to be healed. We cannot slap a banner on February as being the month we all come together, only to rip it off at the end of the short time.
It starts with education, furthered by questions, understanding, confrontation, and learning from the past, which can easily be repeated. There is no way to learn from your mistakes if you do not acknowledge the mistakes in the first place.