Why Black History Month is Becoming Obsolete

February has come and gone, and with it goes another Black History Month. During the month, I ran a poll asking whether or not you thought Black History Month was obsolete, and a solid majority of you (58%) said yes. I completely agree, and here’s why:

• Black History Month is based on arcane notions about race that are only held in North America, most notably, the one-drop rule. If you’re not familiar, the one-drop rule is the idea that if you have just one ancestor of African descent in your family tree, you are automatically black. It’s a stupid rule because based on that logic, almost everybody in North America is black and February isn’t long enough to recognize everybody.
• Negro History Week, the predecessor to Black History Month, was conceived as a means to promote African-American accomplishments at a time when we were not considered equals under the law. Furthermore, black history was not even a component of American history in academia, and I like to think that we have come a long way in rectifying that.
• Even Carter Woodson, founder of Negro History Week, believed that this was a temporary convention. He wanted black history to become a part of American history, as evidenced by this quote:
  

  Courtesy of wageslaves/Flickr

Do you think Black History Month is obsolete? Why?

You may also like:

1. Today is the First Day of Black History Month “The shadow of a mighty Negro past flits through...
2. 5 Random Things About Carter G. Woodson You’re probably wondering who Carter G. Woodson is, and...
3. A Month-by-Month History of 2009 – Blogcritics Culture 2009 was a rollercoaster of a year, from the...
4. A Month-by-Month History of the Past Decade: 2000-2001 The decade of the 2000s has been a tumultuous...