What is Black History Month?
February is Black History Month - But What Does That Really Mean?
Feb 3, 2009
It Isn't Just Black History, But American History That Requires Our Reflection
Dr. Frank Luttmer of Hanover College said in 1996 that history “must be understood on its own terms”; that it “must first be understood in its context”. Essentially, acts, events and ideas can only really be appreciated and meaningful when they are considered in the place and time that they occurred.
The history of every nation on the planet has chapters that are troubled; with periods and events that are epitaphs to its evolution; its painful growth from disparate bands of humanity to its current form of civilization. There is perhaps no greater example of this than the United States of America. America, filled with immeasurable accomplishment, passionate ideology and wonder has itself tolerated some of the darkest times to emerge to its current form, both glorious and aggrieved. Each event in her past must be judged in context, through the appropriate lens with which to look back and examine what it meant, why it happened and how much it influences the state of the union today. Black History Month is a time to do just that.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson Creates the First True Celebration of Black History
In a past where the participation of African-Americans in the molding of America had been ignored or marginalized, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard Scholar and prominent figure in Black History himself, endeavored to shine a light on the contribution of African-Americans and allow for their recognition and appreciation.
Dr. Woodson believed that for African-Americans, and indeed all Americans, to properly understand American history, ‘Black History’ specifically needed to be remembered in a week long celebration called ‘Negro History Week’. February was chosen since it coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men who made considerable impacts on the black population and the landscape of American History at large.
Black History Month Is More Important Than Ever
‘Negro History Week’ has grown through the years and is now a celebration that spans the entire month of February. It is a time for all Americans, for all people to take a moment to learn of the remarkable contributions of African-Americans, many of them astonishing given the context of the harsh times of slavery, segregation and the great adversity seen during the civil rights movement. It is also a time to trace the impacts of those harshest times on the America seen today and understand that the past informs today and today can become whatever tomorrow the nation is willing to fight for. Perhaps now, more than ever, the historic events that The United States has witnessed with the election of the first African-American president should be evaluated by reflecting on what the past teaches its citizens and help them better understand what can to expect the future history of African-Americans, and all Americans, to look like.
