Thursday, February 22, 2007

Black History Month

I hope you are all enjoying February or "Black History Month" like I am. It's the one month of the year where I get to change my entire perspective of history. It's almost miraculous isn't it? I mean, on how for this one month, I am aware of black slavery that took place 160 years ago. This month, I am aware of all the uses of the peanut. Jim Crow laws also populate my thinking of history, not to mention, individuals like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and Dr. Martin Luther King.

Yes, this short month really opens my eyes. You see, this is because, as I have been told, that the other 11 months of the year are "White History Months". Therefore, the rest of the year is where we only think and talk about George Washington, Christopher Columbus, et. al. From March to January, black slavery never existed and every individual of any historical importance was white.

Sounds okay, to me as a white person although, I do ponder about Latinos, Asians, and American Indians and why they apparently are not a part of history. Some radically-thinking people believe that history is history, and not specific to any one particular race. I wonder if there is any truth in this.

7 comments:

Erik said...

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hhm1.html

There's one

Erik said...

Here you go they do exist.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/

Erik said...

But yet again you are proving me right.

Robert E Wilson said...

?????

Erik said...

A) You don't do research when you post

B) What I've been saying all along

Robert E Wilson said...

I guess you didn't understand the tone of this particular post. It's satire. Yeah, I know you have trouble with that concept. You also seem to have trouble with sarcasm.

Robert E Wilson said...

Satire aside, your argument still holds no water. Black History Month is a nationally recognized event. Schools all over the country are encouraged, maybe even forced, to set aside the regular curriculum in favor of concentrating on black history. There is no such thing for any other one group of people.

The examples you give are of organizations that recognize other ethnic "months", but these do not have anywhere near the merit of black history month.