I found this article questioning the continued relevance of Black History Month and was curious as to your guy’s thoughts on the issue. Some arguments were made that by having one month dedicated to black history, it allows for people to forget about it the other eleven months of the year. Other people argued that by having a Black History Month, we are just identifying our differences and they should be forgotten. This relates to the conversation we were having in class regarding a colorblind society. Do you think that we should just attempt to not recognize differences among race and ethnicity in America, is that even possible? Or should we continue to learn about the diversity among individuals and celebrate those distinctions?
In this article many people were concerned that African American history wasn’t taught year-round in schools, rather it was reserved for February in order to inform students. Was this the case in your education? Some people in the article argued that because America elected a black president, the need for Black History Month is behind us. But I think that there is still a long road ahead and just because our country has taken one step doesn’t mean that we can now ignore the injustices of the past.
After you read the basic arguments of the article, hopefully you guys will have some insight as to what the future of Black History Month should entail. Should we continue to celebrate African American heritage one month out of the year? Does that mean we forget this history the rest of the year? Does the election of Obama change the way you view the situation? Anyway, here’s the link and I hope you enjoy the article.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29057064
I don’t think that we should forget about Black History Month because this particular month has been part of a remembrance of American history. If we extract Black History Month out of the American culture, seem like we are erasing history. I learned that history is what is written and what people remember. This particular month has been documented and has been remembered by so many people already; I don’t see the point in not keeping this month. Instead, I would propose to increase the advocate to teach black history every month on the regular school calendar. At the same time, ethnicity studies should be included in the program as to make it fair for other races. We don’t just want to remember black history, but we want to remember all American history of difference ethnicities as well. America is making up so many racial diversities. If we agree to advocate black history, then we cannot ignore the rest of American history, such as Chicanos, Asian American history, etc. Furthermore, as our American history is being taught throughout the year, we shouldn’t have to worry that history will be forgotten. Some might argue that if we have Black History Month, why can we have Asian American History Month? Well, if history is being taught already on a regular basis, does that really matter? I don’t think this particular situation really matter that much if all American histories are being taught to American children since elementary. Children of the future will have a chance to learn more about other ethnicities before they reach college level. The next generation might have less social conflict with other people of difference background. According to Ron Takaki, “We should learn how to maximize our similarity and minimize our differences.” My above example will be helpful to the children of the future. For example, I didn’t know much about Chicanos or Asian American history until I reach college, which is very sad to try to learn about some histories, especially my own.
ReplyDeleteObama’s election does change what we have on the article. His election would open more opportunities for us as to amend the law or increase policy. We have a chance to change the educational system in a grand scale. Obama can help to increase the teaching of not only black history, but all American histories.
I agree with Han as well as others in the article, that we should not get rid of black history month. It was been such an integral part of our teachings that to get rid of this would be playing into the same reverse racism notion that our society should be “color blind,” which is close to impossible. By getting rid of this month we would be doing a great disservice to ourselves and our education, as well as partly forgetting those who struggles to win the equal rights that we have for African Americans today. We cannot forget our history which was rooted and steeped in racism, because as also mentioned in the article, we will be more likely to repeat our mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI do however think that we should work towards a more diverse curriculum and teaching of history, as it was said is being done in New Jersey and other states. I think that although black history month should remain, we should also work towards honoring and including all races and cultures in every month, so as not to forget how truly diverse our country is, and how different types of people contributed to help build the society and country that we have today. We should honor each culture and people, so as not to forget how far we have come and also not regress and continue to discriminate against groups of people. I feel that by getting rid of black history month we would be in a sense trying to erase history because although some stated in the article they do not feel any more educated, than that truly shows how lacking our education system is when it comes to diversity of history, and I cannot image the consequences without black history month.
To me the statement by the 40-year old stay at home mom really hit home not only why we need to increase visibility around black and Hispanic heritage month, but why we also need to include these groups in a broader discussion in all topics and in our own American history lessons. If people do not think they know enough about other cultures, even when these cultures have “their own months,” then to me that means we are not doing enough to educate and include all populations, and should not only keep such monthly traditions but beef up the history lessons to include figures of all races and backgrounds.
And going back to the same question that seems to find a place in every discussion of race lately, I do not think that the election of Obama signifies an end to race, or our moving towards a color blind society. If anything I think that more than ever we should be taking time to celebrate the accomplishments of Obama and other figures of color who have helped to change and shape our political landscape and how we view minorities. Obama proves that African Americans have and will continue to accomplish many things, and that if nothing else we should continue to be educated about these accomplishments. What better way to honor leaders like Obama than with a month, and a month that in my opinion should extend to all others, and be brough into every history lesson, so that we are not taught simply the history of the white men or conquerors, but of a people that is reflective of the people who are sitting in the classrooms learning. America is rapidly changing, and with that so should our history lessons so that every child in their classroom can see a figure similar to them, and be able to relate to and be proud of their culture and background, and see the important part it has played on shaping our American culture.
I strongly believe that this country should continue to celebrate Black History Month. Even though people joke and say that February is the shortest month of the year and that is symbolic of the marginalized status of African Americans in this country, this month is needed because if it were done away with, mainstream narratives of the history of the United States would omit the history of African Americans. I agree with Lee Smith in the article when he said that “those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it.” This nation has a record of voluntary historical amnesia wherein horrible mistakes are repeated because people just forget they happened a first time. For example, the illegal detainment of Muslim and Arab American citizens after 9/11 is very reminiscent of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Very few people made this connection at the time because no one remembers the internment of Japanese Americans to begin with! So, Black History Month is definitely needed because without it, African American History would never be taught or referenced. It is a little too idealistic to say that “every month should be Black History Month,” because, although I do agree Black history should be taught and celebrated year round, the people making those decisions do not acknowledge that need. It is hard enough to get 28 days a year where people are forced to learn about token black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, and Frederick Douglass, the Civil Rights Movement, and the horrors of slavery. Black History month, in idea, is a beautiful validation of the existence of African Americans in the United States, their history, struggle and legacy along with the current issues facing that community in the present. But in reality, most teachers don’t take the month seriously; they hang up one picture and short bio of an already well-known leader, and talk about how slavery was “bad” and the Civil Rights Movement eradicated racism altogether. I think first we need to improve the quality standard of what is being taught in public schools (especially grades 6-12) about black history and move away from the token black leaders and move into a more in depth discussion about more unknown members of the black community, accomplishments therein, and the continually unjust and racist conditions facing the black community today. Discussions about the prison system, the school system, and police brutality against black youth should be some of the issues discussed currently. These issues should also be discussed publicly! In essence, I believe Black History month is very important in remembering our history so we don’t repeat it, but it also has its limitations and should be revisited. Lastly the popular rhetoric surrounding Obama’s election claiming that racism no longer exists because we now have a black president is ridiculous! It is so easy to fall into that trap, that colorblind ideology of ignoring differences and histories in order to treat everyone equally and “have an equal playing field.” Well, that just isn’t the case. We can’t treat everyone equally until the conditions in which everyone lives are equal (and they are not.) Histories of discrimination, marginalization, and racism cannot be ignored when creating policy today. I believe racism will become increasingly harder to recognize with Obama as president because people can refer to him as the person who “got rid of racism.”
ReplyDeleteEven if we attempted to stop recognizing different races and the differences they contain, we would not be able to do so because races are so engraved into the United States society. Instead of having the “Melting Pot Theory” in this country, it would be much better to have the “Salad Bowl Theory”. During Ronald Takaki’s talk, he said that it would be disrespectful to think about American society as a “melting pot”. When there is a “melting pot”, people begin to lose their own unique identities and customs. I believe it is better to continue learning about the diversity that exists in distinct cultures. In that manner, people will be educated in the different types of cultures that people have, making the United States a more welcoming country.
ReplyDeleteIn my previous education experiences, when February rolled around, we would always hear about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. In the other months before and after February, we would not hear anything about the African American histories and experiences. One month should not only be the time period when people celebrate the struggles of a people. We should have the opportunity to learn about different histories year-round, without being restricted to only a certain time frame. Just because we have an African American President does not mean that we must now ignore the past. We can learn from the past and we should. The election of Barack Hussein Obama is only one small step in the struggle for racial equality.
After reading the article, I realized that some people do not feel as if they are learning anything from Black History Month or the Hispanic History Month. If this is the case, then the purpose of having specific months for a specific race is going to waste. I know that such months are used to create awareness about how that specific race has suffered and what should not be repeated in history. The manner in which people are being taught about other races and cultures should change. There should be a different approach as to how people are approached with people’s histories. In order to solve racial problems in a society, people must understand the origins of such problems. Only then will we be able to deal with those problems and not have the same mistakes that were committed throughout history.
When I first came back home in January from South Africa, my dad and I were discussing Obama’s recent election into the Presidency. I remember my dad telling me, “the fact that the American people elected Obama shows that we’re not a racist country anymore.” My dad is your typical rich, conservative white male. He claims to have been really liberal back in the day, even saying that he was arrested for protesting. I have a hard time believing him, and I was insulted by his statement. But anyway. His comment unfortunately reflects the sentiments of many Americans today: we have a black president, thus our country is no longer racist and everything is better. Wrong. To be brutally honest, I am getting tired of everyone thinking that having Obama as our President is going to automatically cure our country of all its ills. Though Obama’s election is a critical step in the moving forward of our country, we still have a long way to go. And this is reflected in the ignorant beliefs that “with Obama as President, it’s all good.” So no, the need for Black History Month is definitely not behind us.
ReplyDeleteThe American education system is taught from an almost entirely Eurocentric viewpoint, completely disregarding the fact that America is not made up of an entirely Eurocentric background. In the sense that those who tell history tell it from the viewpoint of those holding power and privilege – then yes, I suppose America does consist of a Eurocentric background. But history should consist of the perspectives of both oppressed and oppressive groups, without doing so, history is incomplete.
Things such as Black History Month or any form of Awareness days, weeks, months, whatever are meant to do just that - create awareness. Without them, despite the argument that it promotes less consciousness throughout the rest of the year, people will not acknowledge these issues that must be acknowledged. Without Black History Month, black history is completely left out of American history. In elementary schools, high schools, and even in universities, history as well as every other discipline is taught from a completely Eurocentric viewpoint. Teaching through any other method or perspective is unfortunately considered "too radical" or blasphemous. And that is what needs to change. The majority of the American population is completely unaware of the perspectives of minority groups who are still part of America. Every single day I am made aware of this injustice within our education system. Even people of color who are teachers or professors are forced to abide by strict teaching rubrics, and cannot teach reality through their own viewpoint but through the viewpoint of those who hold power and privilege.
Black History Month is the only time when a perspective other than that of those who wrote the history books is able to be shown. Other than that, the only time I ever learned about the history of my people in school was through the perspective that we were “little brown brothers” and that it was the duty of Americans, through god, to civilize them. This is what our nation’s children are being taught, and this is why we grow up unaware of our true history.
While I wholeheartedly do not believe that it is the duty of those oppressed groups to educate the rest of America of injustice - no one else will do it, so unfortunately the burden is on them. If there is an argument that people who are not black feel left out of Black History Month or feel as though they are not learning anything, then something must be done to change this in order to make it more inclusive and in order to create more awareness in the way that it is supposed to. The sad truth is that throughout America, people are still separated by race and this makes it difficult to create a sense of community in which people may share ideas.
Like everyone else, I do agree that we should not get rid of Black History Month since it is an important time to reflect and learn about African Americans. Reflecting on today’s society, I believe there is a lack of awareness and concern about the celebration and significance of February. I recall briefly learning about African Americans in elementary school during the month of February but as I progressed in school, each year shed less importance of Black History Month. Nowadays, I have to be reminded by the commercials on tv or the short stories depicted in the news media that February is Black History month. Also noting, I believe there are less celebrations relating to Black History months especially following the disasters during this decade such as Hurricane Katrina, the Dot Com Bust, the recession, etc. In order to change the lack of awareness, I do agree with my fellow classmates of having the curriculum not only shed more light on February being Black History month but also highlighting the significant contributions of this group all year round in the curriculum starting from elementary school to high school. History is important and should not be forgotten at any age.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of not recognizing the differences among race and ethnicity in America, I think it is not possible since there are always conflicts and issues shown in the media and everyday life of regarding different groups. The subject of race and ethnicity is deeply embedded in the American culture. There are different months dedicated to certain groups. Not only is there Black History month in February but there is often the forgotten Asian Pacific American Heritage month in May for instance. With President Obama openly declaring Black History Month as mentioned in the article, he does raise the challenge for Americans to be aware and to learn more about African Americans. As Americans, we should learn about the histories of different ethnic groups especially of African descent since the U.S. is composed of different groups.
In regards to the learning environment, I believe it is important to learn about the diversity among individuals constantly. Without the lessons of diversity, students cannot learn of how America became what it is today and the people living in this nation. Especially in elementary school until college, students have to learn about history and they should learn about different races and ethnicity every week. I remember learning lessons about different parts of the world and the culture and people present in those areas during elementary and junior high school, but briefly in high school. I think as students get older, there is less of a concern of past history and significance of such events like Black History month. There is a need to incorporate and promote the importance of diversity in schools especially at the college and high school level. Through publication and more community involvement especially among different ethnic groups, I think changes could arise in the future.
This is a great topic. I’ve gone over this issue in the past and I completely agree that Black History Month tends to box in black history as separate from mainstream American history when it is in fact American history. I don’t really believe it should be eliminated. Rochelle Riley’s comment in the article, that it should be removed, seems to me like a negative approach because in doing so, you’re not really solving the real issue here. The issue is that black history needs to be more heavily incorporated into all aspects of American history, as well as other educational subjects such as science, the arts, and so on. Removing a celebration of Black History won’t fix the way American History is taught. I understand people’s frustrations with this issue though. It wasn’t until I came to Berkeley as a freshman that I started learning true multicultural education—not just black history, but a combination of ethnic and gendered histories, as well as class issues. In high school, during Black History month, we would see bits of the classic Martin Luther king speech, and we’d learn about Rosa Parks. However, Malcolm X and the Black Panthers were never brought up. In fact, in my particular high school, they didn’t even mention the KKK. I shamefully had to learn about them very late in life during my first semester as a freshman in college.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marina that we need to work towards a more progressive curriculum that teaches diverse issues in a new way. It is certainly more than teaching about Black History. We need to teach about current issues as well past ones, and how they affect the spectrum of people in the United States. What about the prison industrial complex, the crumbling public educational system, and the realities of the poor? Not just of black folks, but also white, Latino, Asian, Native American, and everyone under the sun. The problem with Black History month is two-fold: it not only differentiates black history from “regular” history, but it also makes racial strife a thing of the past.
Caitlin’s point, about Americans claiming racism is over, was also interesting. I remember this came up in last week’s blog conversations, but it is extremely important and relevant to all of us. To treat Obama’s presidency as proof that racism is over is to conflate the issues at hand. That is, a gain in the struggle cannot be seen as the completion of the struggle. After all, how many times in the past did blacks gain a freedom that did not truly make them free? Their emancipation did not make them equal to whites under the law and in society, nor did Brown v Board bring them up to the same educational platform of opportunities as their white counterparts. On the surface, it may look like one thing, but in reality, there remain a lot of institutional barriers keeping blacks down.
Thanks for the article, it’s an important issue even thought it comes up every February in the news only to fade away again until the next year.
Black History Month should not be eliminated because it is a special honor to African Americans who have not only made history, but have done something extraordinary. Nonetheless, I do believe that the K-12 school curriculum needs to change. For the most part the K-12 curriculum is very ethnocentric and does teach students about other ethnicities. For example, I personally was never taught about the genocide of Native Americans. Instead I was taught a nice little story about the pilgrims and Indians helping each other and having a Thanksgiving dinner. As if that were not enough in fourth grade we were shown Disney’s Pocahontas as a sort of history lesson. The worst part of this is that I did not learn the real facts until I came to U.C Berkeley and I took a Native American class. When I came to Cal and began to take ethnic studies courses I relearned history because many of the things that I was taught were wrong or completely biased. My experience leads me to believe that other people who do not have the opportunity to obtain an education never learn true history and that is a shame.
ReplyDeleteThe history of ethnic minorities should be incorporated into the K-12 curriculum because it will teach future generations of Americans the struggles that all kinds of people have gone through and hopefully that will foster sympathy, tolerance and respect for everyone. As was said in a famous court case, we must treat people differently in order to treat them equally. That is exactly why Black History Month should continue to exist. Black history is overlooked in traditional curriculum so by having a month devoted to it will give people that opportunity to learn something about it that they would normally not learn in school. But of course, the struggle for more inclusive history classes should continue.
Another important part of the article if the Obama factors. It says that some people believe that now that Obama is president we can put Black History Month behind us because in a way it separates people. I believe comments like those are one of the major mistakes that some people make now that Obama is president. Some people believe that the election of Obama signifies that all people are now truly treated equally and that now everyone can achieve the American Dream. In a sense the election of Obama obscures the many forms inequality and racism that exists today. For example, the death threats to Obama that we read about last week and the need to pass the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act demonstrate that racism and inequality are still a part of American society. The election of Obama is only a stepping stone to developing a nation that provides “liberty and justice for all.”
I find it hard for myself to decide whether Black History Month should or should not be kept because I did not know about it until after taking Ethnic Studies courses in college. During primary school I did not know about February being Black History Month nor was any of my class introductive to African American history aside from US History as it covered slavery and the civil war. My US History class only briefly touched upon various ‘important’ points in American history, giving us a broad range in preparation for the AP exam in the spring. Through out my grade school career, civil rights movement, civil war and slavery were discussed but only through the perspective and the interest of the dominate culture, not through the views of the oppress. Although there are so many individuals involved in the civil rights movement, so many Black abolitionists the only African American that I had been introduced to was Martin Luther King Jr. The context that King was usually in was his March on Washington, his ‘I have a dream speech,’ or as the face of the civil rights movement. I guess, although I and my fellow school mates were never openly told about Black History Month, there were attempts at showing it through these teachings of slavery and African American involvement in the development of America.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article and the responses above, I will have to agree that Black History Month should still remain because it is still necessary and by taking away Black History we will not only lose a part of our history but also push its existence aside as the American society has attempted to do so with racism and inequality. Although it promising that America is taking a step towards equality and progress through Obama’s election as president, I think it is still to early for us to through aside Black History Month. At such a crucial moment in time, with American’s first African American president, I think it is important to highlight to the younger generations, the generation that is growing up under the romancanized image of American History, the reality of African Americans and their role in American’s history and its development. Not only this, but to allow awareness of the Black History through the minority perspective than through dominate white perspective that resides over school curriculums.
I do agree with rodrigocg that the ways that people approach teaching or educating people about the history of an ethnic group should be altered because I was not aware of months being dedicated to an ethnic group or a cause aside from those nationally recognized holiday or for causes that I was or knew of someone involved in. Although I do not have a possible solution in mind, I do think that the way people are notified of these important recognitions and maybe the emphasis that is placed upon them also effects how the level of awareness of the average citizen of these dates dedicated to these historical moments.
Once again American society feels that by doing one good deed or showing some sort of progress it will make up for the hundreds of years of injustice it inflicted on African Americans. America throughout its history has seen itself as the maternal country that has token in the people’s of the world and allowed them to prosper on its shores. America is the land of opportunity and hope. Yes, America was built on the hopes and aspirations of the immigrants that landed on its shores but it has also been built on the hard labor of the African people that were brought to these shores as slaves.
ReplyDeleteBlack History Month was created by people who wanted to educate themselves as to where their ancestors originated. African slaves were robbed of their culture and traditions by an American Society that viewed them only as labor. Throughout the history of this country whenever a minority group achieves something the ruling “white” class always want to take credit for it as if they gave it to us. The resulting legislation from the civil rights struggles of the 1960s always seem to be portrayed in the historical archives as a result of “white” America understanding the needs of the minority in America.
Now “White” America is making it seem that they have “Given” us Barack Obama. To this I say “Bullshit”, the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States is a culmination of the “Real American” people finally being fed up with the people representing them in the federal government. By real Americans I mean the Black, African, Asian, Japanese, Mexican, Latino, Indian, Russian Americans, etc. that make up the real United States of America. Eliminating Black History Month would just set our nation back sixty years and eliminate the progress we have made towards becoming a color blind society. We need to make every month Black History Month, just like we need to make an effort everyday of the year to learn about the many different cultures and traditions that make this country the best place in the world. (Word Count 350)
This article and all the discussions of colorblindness send me back to the moment that Barack Obama was announced as the victor in the November 4th Election. These conversations make me think of how during President Obama’s speech, in the midst of being thrilled and relieved that he won, I could not stop thinking about how much more difficult the job of Ethnic Studies scholars just became. Obama’s speech and FORMER President George W. Bush’s speech celebrated America’s ability to go beyond race. Bush said something like, Rosa Parks sat so that Martin Lurther King could march, so that Barack Obama could run. While I agree that the election of a non-white man to the highest post in America is an amazingly wonderful thing, I feel that it is being given more credit than it should.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind, the election of Barack Obama as president does not symbolize an end to racism in America. On the contrary, all the Youtube videos of people expressing their “opinions” of Barack Obama and all the racist remarks that were (and continue to be) made show just how not past racism America truly is. I am not sure whether I think Black History month is a good or bad thing, but I am more than positive that we are not ready to do away with it. I find the argument that celebrating Black History month gives people permission to ignore it the rest of year to be flawed. If the argument holds for Black History month, it should hold for everything else, like Valentine’s Day for example. Why do we need one day in which people express love for their significant other, should these feelings not be expressed all year long? With everything that goes on in our lives and how busy we are kept, I think it’s a great idea to take a moment and really focus on something important like, Black History or Women’s History or Love. I understand the argument from both sides, I see what’s problematic about Black History Month, but I don’t think that doing away with it is the solution.
Many people are saying that now that Barack Obama made it, that anyone can make it. This argument also says with it that if you are unable to make it, it is your fault and not society’s. This completely ignores the pervasiveness of structural racism in America. The absence of de jure racism is not enough to undo the last 500 years of de facto racist practices in this country. We cannot ignore that African American males are statistically more likely to go to prison then they are to go to college. Importantly, we also should not ignore the millions of people who were unable to vote in this historic election because they have been disenfranchised due to felony convictions. There are so many institutional inequalities that have nothing to do with how individuals decide to treat each other; racism needs to be challenged and not ignored if we are to truly move “past race”.
I do not believe that with the election of Obama the time has come for the need for the end of Black History Month. If Hillary Clinton was elected as president, would people be calling to end Women's History Month? This is doubtable. It is still extremely relevant and important to remind students, teachers, etc. of the achievements of African Americans on this yearly basis in a special way. At the same time I do believe that it is important to remember that African American history is in fact part of our cumulative histoy, and should be incorporated every month, every week, and everyday of historical learning.
ReplyDeleteI remember studying Black History Month especially in elementary school including everyone from Martin Luther King Jr., to George Washington Carver, to Wilma Rudolph. It was something I saw every year because my mom was a third grade teacher in a so-called "minority school" with a largely Hispanic student population. It is where I retain my early experience of African American history. As I got older I don't remember it being a significant part of my education; it didn't seem to be an annual necessity in my Middle School and High School years.
Black History month is essential because it stresses the history of people maybe not touched on in a typical US History high school course other than in the civil rights movement or civil war sections. It provides an opportunity to seek deeper the roles of African Americans in the shared American history. It also serves as a good base in primary learning as an introduction. I hope this tradition is continued, improved, and upheld in our culture for many generations to come.
Our country still needs Black History month in order to highlight historical contributions that would otherwise be ignored, but more than just acknowledging past accomplishments we must recognize and face our country‘s mistakes. I agree that our K-12 curriculum needs revising to incorporate a broader perspective, which should include Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, etc perspectives. Like Ron Takaki said we didn’t all cross the Atlantic some of us crossed the Pacific or the Rio Grande, some were already here, and some were brought here by force. After reading the comments, I think there is a consensus over our experiences with the public school system which seems to be a watering down of our history. Through out elementary, middle school, and even through high school I experience a watered down version of our country’s history, even when learning over Manifest Destiny, the Mexican-American War, and slavery non of the teachers came out and blatantly said that was racists, instead they briefly addressed these events then highlighted the accomplishments of the men who perpetrated them. The majority of the lessons actually focused on their accomplishments, like their accomplishments washed away their mistakes.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I noticed was most people claimed to get a more comprehensive perspective after coming to Berkeley, which made me think about how most people don’t get to come to Berkeley or even get to go to college. With out black history month these people might not get any type of broader historical perspective. Aside from just providing a broader perspective Black History month provides a time when the country as a whole can reflect over our country’s past mistakes, and although I don’t think its something that should only be done in February I think its important to have a specified time where can do it as a whole. Does Thanksgiving make people less thankful year round, or does it provide a date where the majority of the country can individually reflect on what they are thankful for.
I don’t understand how Obama’s election would eliminate the necessity for Black History month, I guess I just saw the election as another land mark to add onto the list of accomplishments for the month. Racism is not over, the struggle for freedom pre civil war, the struggle for voting rights and an end to segregation post civil war, and all the marches during the civil rights movement should not be forgotten simply because Obama was elected. To do so would be to forget all the hardships that made Obama’s election a possibility.
When asked the question “what do I remember being taught about black history month as child,” I am reluctant to say that my strongest memories are those projected from the media. Reluctant to the fact that I remember black history month through the movies played on T.V. stations like Disney channel, which were trying to establish the significance of dominant figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. in the minds of many young children. Although I have been told by many that Walt Disney himself was anti-Semitic, and racist, I believe that the station that holds his name today has established, or at least tried to establish, relevance towards the need for equality for all.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it could be where I was raised that has something to do with my lack of knowledge of black history month. Being from a predominately white neighborhood, it is highly possible that the people of that area did not think that it was as important to celebrate black history month, as was red ribbon week. This fact slightly disgusts me, to think that the educators of my past did not see the necessity of making February, black history month, to be an establishing factor towards my education.
I firmly believe that the celebration of black history month is important to regard for people of all races. The study of the many leaders of black equalization, and predominant black figures of society during the civil rights movement and today, should be regarded as important. Since Barack Obama was inaugurated at the end of January this year, February this year has had some sort of different meaning. The belief, and hope that was flowing through the air during the civil rights movement of the 1960’s is here again, and the celebration of their equality in the American civilization is one which should never be forgotten, or minimized.
I would like to thank the Disney Channel for educating me about the importance of black history, because I believe that through this media I became interested in the equality for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, or gender. Peace through the struggle…
I strongly believe that the racial diversity, history, and racial politics of every nation should be exposed to children at a young age in multiple, complex angles of different voices, and they should be embraced, if not celebrated, by everyone all year round. However, this does NOT mean that we should exempt certain celebratory dates/occasions such as Black History Month, which help empower the people who’ve been oppressed for so long who have finally obtained a time period to widely acknowledge and appreciate their people’s sufferings. Celebrations like these are not meant to exclude, separate, or draw division lines between the races—they are meant to recognize and empower the specific groups in an optimistic approach by proclaiming their importance too!
ReplyDeleteBut to expand on my opinion of inserting different narratives and multiple cultural and historical angles to the American awareness, I think a great way to do so would be to infuse Ethnic Studies into the k-12 curriculum. With the beginning of education exposed to the reality of the diversity of the country—with all of its different cultural struggles—I think children will grow to become more socially conscious individuals and will understand their lot in the wide spectrum more deeply. Thus, American education will be cultivating not only scientists, mathematicians, and English experts, etc, but we will be molding socially aware people with open minds, a deep understanding for the multiplicity of different intersections of cultures, races, class, and gender—and they will have a much greater appreciation for diversity and won’t be so stuck to a mainstream meta-narrative mindset taught by just the “white-male-dominant” history. This will further explain to every single child where he/she and his/her family fit into the complex diversity that created American history, present, and future—which I believe will help create a sense of empowerment in them through the recognition of their people’s struggles, accomplishments, positions in this country and through the understanding of their people’s contributions to this country they call theirs as well. My goal is to see this deeper understanding empower children to strive for an education and to strive for a good position in their society in order to accomplish whatever goodness they hope to give back or to create. But most importantly, I hope this strongly instilled understanding of diversity and different struggles would help build collective love and compassion in them toward other groups as well so that violence, segregation, and racial oppression can be relinquished. I strongly believe that this will have more long and lasting effects than waiting till they are older to only have some exposed to Ethnic Studies in college. And this might be too bold of a statement, but I think this would be even more effective than having celebratory months of recognition, such as Black History Month (although I don’t mean to void that out by any means)…I just really hope to see all this build from ground up, starting with the education and the exposure to all the little young ones who will someday become the leaders, the citizens, and the people of this country. Only then can we help cultivate a new generation with a different, more open-minded, and socially conscious mindset.
I have to say, this is a hard one for me. I think I am more conflicted then the rest of the class appears to be. My main issue lies with the fact that I do think having one month dedicated to Black History is not particularly useful and is a bit confusing. Before I get jumped on I have to explain, my primary schools didn’t really celebrate Black History Month so I didn’t really know it even existed. I did however learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and Harriet Tubman and many, many other Black historical figures. It was incorporated into our regular curriculum. I did not however learn anything at all about Native Americans or Asian Americans. And they both have months (although to be fair they didn’t when I was a kid). My point is not whether they have a month (talk about a slippery slope) but that they are eclipsed by the more covered African American history. Let me be clear, I am not saying that African American history is not worthy of a month, but I think celebrating Black contributions in February, Native Americans in November and Asian Americans in May is limiting it in scope. In my point of you the more we segregate and compartmentalize ethnicity the more harm we do to it. We need to make it so that all American history is studied and emphasized en total. I think what was meant by people saying that by dedicating it one month you forget it the rest of the year is valid when you look at it this way. Why should we limit our studies and our celebration of ethnic minority contributions to set months? We are doing our youth a disservice. We are saying that African American contributions are not “American” contributions they are in some way separate. I think until we incorporate (really incorporate completely) an accurate portrayal of all histories and contributions from all groups then we have a problem and having symbolic months dedicated to those people is not really going to do much good.
ReplyDeleteAfrican American history wasn't taught year round in my school. It was
ReplyDeleteduring Martin Luther King Jr's birthday when we would learn about the
Civil Rights and see the famous images of student sit ins, of the police
using dogs and firemen using their hoses against the youth. We would learn
about the bus boycott and hear the “I have a dream” speech. In February I
would hear of other leaders starting with those that were important during
slavery like Harriet Tubman. We would hear about the Harlem Renaissance
and read poems by Langston Hughes. We would talk about the inventions and
contribution of African Americans to US society and history, like the
cotton gin. If my teacher was a little daring s/he would mention Malcolm X
or the Black Panthers. This was about it. It was only during certain times
of the year, on historical events that we would learn about what seemed to
encompass African American History which was framed as two things: slavery
and the civil rights. We learned that racism no longer existed because of
the Civil Rights as there were no longer signs that separated blacks and
whites. Racism was also framed to be an African American thing since no
other ethnoracial groups were taught about and their struggles unlearned
of. Not only was African American history not taught about year round, and
the absence of other histories denied, but the manner in which the subject
was taught was deceiving for the students as the real importance of
these struggles were not discussed with the students. Paulo Freire
mentions how educations in society "becomes an act of deposition, in
which the student are deposits and the teachers depositors". He calls
this type of education banker education because it leaves no space for
the student to be critical and reflective about his or her position with
what is being taught and learned. Sorry, I think I'm going off on a
slight tangent but I guess what I am getting to is that it is important
to have these moments within the year to reflect on certain groups
struggle and meaning within history. Black History month is only
represented in one month yet there are other groups who are represented
in the rest of the months. It is important in my opinion to commemorate,
remember, and take time to reflect about history in the time provided
because hegemonic education does not provide in any other way. I mean
think about the textbooks, the history or accounts of history we
received, or specifically that I received, there was only a paragraph
or a couple of pages that accounted for the history of people of color,
yet that is not the reality of this society and this country. Accounts
like Takakis' different mirror are rare or non existence in education
outside the university. So while it is argued that only celebrating one
month can leave the space for the other eleven months to ignore such
history its better to have space to do so as well as provide space for
other groups histories to be disseminated. This of course until we one
day see a changed education system that provides the voices and stories
of all peoples representative of this country and that does not see us
as groups that disappear in history only to pop up in random times.
I don't believe that there should be an end to black history month. Every
month of the year is symbolic and is representative of different groups
and despite their advances in society this doesn't call for us to forget such histories and struggles. The fact that we now have a black president shows we have made some progress but there are still marking factors that show that our communities are still headed in the same direction of being marginalized. In terms of difference, I don't think there is anything wrong with reaffirming ones difference for it symbolic of our humanity. What is dangerous in my opinion is what we with thesenotionss of difference. For example supremacy creates this idea ofhierarchyy and inflicts on other peoples difference, this here is an issue because it is not respecting others and their diversity.
I have heard of this argument before, whether there is any significance in celebrating black history month or not. Although black history should be celebrated and taught all year long, It’s not so a month were focus and discussion is made on black history is important, especially in schools were diversity is an issue. I know we probably heard this before, but black history is American history and should be recognized and taught as if an ordinary curriculum. In fact, I wish that the history of all groups of people here in the U.S could be taught. All groups of people, and their cultures, influence the U.S. Why not have these stories of U.S citizens taught to those not just in higher education but those in all grade levels? It’s really unfortunate that so many cultures and groups are non existent in the history books, especially during U.S history courses. Since the U.S is formed of different cultures it only makes sense to learn of them and there history. It would be nice to have one month dedicated to different cultural groups so everyone becomes informed on the I have heard of this argument before, whether there is any significance in celebrating black history month or not. Although black history should be celebrated and taught all year long, It’s not so a month were focus and discussion is made on black history is important, especially in schools were diversity is an issue. I know we probably heard this before, but black history is American history and should be recognized and taught as if an ordinary curriculum. In fact, I wish that the history of all groups of people here in the U.S could be taught. All groups of people, and their cultures, influence the U.S. Why not have these stories of U.S citizens taught to those not just in higher education but those in all grade levels? It’s really unfortunate that so many cultures and groups are non existent in the history books, especially during U.S history courses. Since the U.S is formed of different cultures it only makes sense to learn of them and there history. It would be nice to have one month dedicated to different cultural groups so everyone becomes informed on the contributions made by different people. Abolishing Black History month would be devastating; the positive exposure of African Americans to other African American groups and all U.S citizens can help create a sense of pride and reflect possibilities to alternative lifestyles someone may not have previously thought.
ReplyDeleteSeeing or imagining a different way of life, a better way of life can create a sense of hope for people. Obama’s election into presidency gives this new idea of life to so many people who perhaps believed that limits on their abilities were decided at birth. Becoming the president of the United Stated is a realistic dream for so many now, due to Obama’s election into presidency, especially our minority youth. I hope that with the election, an urge and new sense of determination is taught and exposed to young minorities. With a new sense of hope, people will hopefully become encouraged to seek intellectual solutions to problems and work harder in finding peace within each of their own groups and others outside.
Although a month of education on a particular group may appear useless or unnecessary, until our educational outline of what is history changes, month like Black History are completely necessary. Black history month helps to show recognition and importance of the African American people here in the U.S. Without acknowledgment, a sense of invisibility can be created and cause probably psychological problems and lead any group or individuals, from acting out in a way that would prevent any real positive change. Yes we should all be created equal, so until our history lessons our collectively written with history of non European stories, then months such as Black history should continue and be recognized as U.S history as well.
In my education I don’t remember it specifically being said that it was Black History Month. I do remember it being multicultural month or something similar. We used to have a calendar and there would be an art and essay contest on representations of multicultural communities or what it meant to us. We would learn about specific African American leaders or influential people but it didn’t come across as if we were only covering them because it was Black History Month. In any case, I definitely do not think that an African American president represents the removal of Black History Month.
ReplyDeleteI think that the election of an African American president represents the further need for the Black History education and to continue to educate the youth of this country about African American leaders and their struggles and accomplishments. I think that it’s too common in African American dominated schools to see the signs of abandonment and discouragement. This only leads to unrealized potentials. By giving everyone, especially minority dominated schools the visible example of greatness and opportunities achieved by people of color, they will grow up with the knowledge and mindset that they too can achieve that same greatness or more. Also, with Black History Month, other schools that don’t learn about minority leaders in the past that have shaped the progression towards the equality of rights in this country are exposed to it more and more. With this continuation, I think that this is the path towards fully incorporating minority leaders and history into the mainstream “American” history that is being taught today.
With the representation of these historical figures into mainstream history, youth and the generations to come will be able to recognize that there is more to history than just the story of the conquerors, but that there are narratives and perspectives of the people who didn’t “win.” In the article Daryl Scott says, “To know about the people who make up society is to make a better society,” he says. “A multiracial, multiethnic society has to work at its relationships, just like you have to work at your marriage.” There must always be a conscious effort to understand and learn about different ethnoracial cultures that make up the US.
A colorblind society is not what we need to aim for right now. That would be ignoring the centuries long inequalities which the effects of still dominate the opportunities for success of many Americans. The conscious effort to offset these inequalities must first start with the understanding of what past leaders of color struggled against and fought for. Like Ronald Takaki said “to comprehend the world is to change the world.”
I can't believe that there is even the consideration to end Black History month. I do not think that we should get rid of Black History month. It was created to celebrate and acknowledge the history of a people. It is a slap in the face to the Black community. Personally I think it is a good idea to keep it but I can also see the opposing side. I do appreciate Black History month and the idea behind it. As a person with African/African-American heritage, I appreciate Black History month because I feel like it is an opportunity to learn more because it is being put out there for people to hear. I understand that there is relevance in the statements made about a month not being effective enough in spreading awareness about cultural history. I think that not enough is done to even utilize Black History month to spread the history of the African and African-American people. Steve O'Rourke believes that ideally we should have a common rather than compartmentalized history. However, to say that would be not taking into account that not everyone has the same experience of life. To say that we all have a common history would not be fair to the people who had to fight for their rights versus the people who were born with rights, never having to work for them.
ReplyDeleteWe should integrate more cultural history into the curriculum because it is important for everyone to learn and understand the culture of other people so that we can continue to move past racism. In this respect I agree with Daryl Scott's statement "A multiracial,multiethnic society has to work at its relationships, just like you have to work at your marriage." I feel that I am contradicting myself but I also feel that we should move past the need for a month to celebrate each ethnicity or gender. We should recognize, in full, the importance of all culture and genders all year round. People can say that we all want to be equal but at the same time we want to celebrate our differences, but it is not about differences but understanding other backgrounds.
In the article it continually mentions the election of Obama and it makes me question what does the election have to do with this notion to end the celebration of Black History month. We cannot just say since we have elected a president with African heritage we can stop celebrating Black History month. He is one person who happens to be of African heritage and is in a position of high power. "We've just experienced a seismic shift in the identity of America," Smith says, referring toObama's election. "We're in the process of transforming into something, we don't know exactly what that is yet. Until we have a better grasp on that, it's hard to understand how we should teach history." This is at the end of the article and it leaves you wondering what will happen. It is a question we should ask ourselves: how will the election of President Obama change the way in which we view history now and in the future, after all we cannot change the past.