Today is the First Day of Black History Month
By
“The shadow of a mighty Negro past flits through the tale of Ethiopia and of the Egypt the Sphinx. Throughout history, the powers of single blacks flash like falling stars, and die sometimes before the world has rightly gauged their brightness.”
-W.E.B. Du Bois
I’ve often wondered about the origins of Black History Month. It seemed to me that the history of mankind should be celebrated daily, regardless of race or ethnicity. Furthermore, if you’re going to do this, then why give us February, the shortest month of the year? As a young student, I was not very welcoming of the concept of Black History Month. Then I grew up, and I encountered people making statements such as, “Look at Africa. Look at blacks today. What have they contributed to the world?*” Frankly, I was astonished, as my desire to get rid of Black History Month was based on the notion that everyday we should celebrate the history of the world. Instead, people were wondering why we celebrate black history at all. Then it hit me. We set aside a month to celebrate the accomplishments of the largest disenfranchised race in the world. We set aside a month to celebrate the accomplishments of the people upon whose backs the United States was built. For someone to question the value of a group of people in an age of unprecedented information sharing illustrates why we still observe Black History Month. As a history blogger, I can’t sit idly by and allow the world to think that the greatest blacks in the world were entertainers and athletes. Therefore, every “5 Random Things” post in the month of February will focus on the accomplishments of people of African descent throughout the world. Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed and follow EiH on Twitter so you can go on this fantastic journey through black history.
*Actual quote from a former co-worker.
P.S. I couldn’t leave you without your factoid of the day, so here it is: Historian Carter G. Woodson came up with the idea for Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week in February to honor Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are that week. The week was later expanded to a full month in 1976. In the United Kingdom, Black History Month is observed in October.
You may also like:
- Why Black History Month is Becoming Obsolete February has come and gone, and with it goes...
- A Month-by-Month History of the Past Decade: 2002-2003 The decade of the 2000s has been a tumultuous...
- A Month-by-Month History of 2009 – Blogcritics Culture 2009 was a rollercoaster of a year, from the...
- A Month-by-Month History of the Past Decade: 2000-2001 The decade of the 2000s has been a tumultuous...
We celebrate black history directly and indirectly everyday by everyone. So don’t feel too bad about us acknowledging black history month in the shortest month of the year.
I don’t too much care for the term African-american either. My grandfather is Italian on my dad side and my grandmother is Indian on my mom side of the family. I feel we are all Americans. Most white people have African ancestors mixed in their blood.
I love learning about our original black history that was never told or recognize by our history books.
I had to explain to my daughter that the first set of black slaves were brought to New Amsterdam (New York City) from Europe. She thinks the first slaves were brought over here from Africa. I had to explain to her that was the beginning of the industrialize slave trade, but slaves were here in America many decades before this happened.
I look forward to your post this month.
That’s the conflict for me, too. My grandmother’s grandmother was white, my grandfather’s father was white or Native American, and that’s the what we know of. My grandfather was so pale that when he would go on vacation in the Caribbean people would come up to him and start speaking Spanish. On top of that, my wife is white and we’re expecting this April. I don’t want my children thinking that one half of their heritage is more important than the other. On the other hand, I have spoken to too many people (of all races) who honestly believe that the greatest black contributor to American culture is Jay-Z or Michael Jordan. Ultimately, we’re all American, though, and until we see that we’ll have to observe Black History Month (and the other heritage history months).
And my initial thoughts on February being Black History Month came courtesy of family living by the “don’t trust whitey” mantra. I like to think I’ve grown from my ignorance
Congrats on the baby on the way. Children are a blessing. So we know you will be MIA around April through whenever the baby start sleeping through the night.
My kids go to a predominately white school, but their young and they definitely notice a difference in skin color. My daughter came home and ask why is everyone saying that President Barack is the first black president, she thought Martin Luther King Jr was the first. I swear I don’t what they are teaching her.
The only thing I can say in regards to your child growing up with a mixed heritage is teach him/her that no person is better than the other regardless of race, class or religion. Just love him and hug him because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters is the love between you and your child.
Some of the stuff that kids say these days, it’s no wonder so many people home-school. At least you talked to your daughter and set her straight. I know people that would never know that their children were so miseducated.
Also, thank you for the congrats. I’m definitely excited to welcome her into the world (we found out it’s going to be a girl, btw). I plan on teaching her that she’s got the best of both worlds, and if she’s half the history geek I am, she’ll figure that out sooner than later.
And I don’t plan on going too far. This site is finally starting to grow. While it won’t be my first priority anymore, I can’t let you guys go with out your history trivia
Black History Month in February? Here, in the UK, it’s always been in October. February is LGBT Month (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender).
Black History Month in February? Here, in the UK, BHM’s always been in October. Febuary is LGBT Month (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History).
I was trying to find why BHM is in October in the UK, but the best explanation that I found was the timing of it with the school year. From what I’ve seen, it was implemented in the 1980s, so that does make some sense.