February is Black History Month. A question that has resurfaced for years finally needs to be answered: Is it helpful or harmful to call one month Black History Month? This question is sensitive and important because it may limit how much Black Lives Matter to one month of the whole year. The debate it brings up is exactly that… are we just supposed to forget about Black Lives after February?!
When we usually learn about Black history, it’s the slavery part. If any child comes home and the topic in history involves Black lives, you can almost always ensure the Black people were picking cotton and getting beaten. They put every picture in black and white to make it seem as if such a thing happened so long ago. As if our society isn’t trying to pave a way for that very thing to happen over and over again. It isn’t so clear anymore who wants to dehumanize Black lives (before you could point a finger at the White slave holders). Now it is scarier that the powers that be who are limiting what people of color can achieve are hidden in plain sight.
If Black Americans weren’t still fighting for the very things that we’ve been continuously fighting for, for hundreds of years, maybe we would appreciate this special month to honor the heroes who rebelled against the oppressors. This month we can take special time to remember Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination; Annie Lee Cooper who fought to protect the right of Black Americans to vote; Jesse Owens who set a record with his long jump that was unbeatable for 25 years; or Benjamin O. Davis Sr. who was the first Black general of the military. You may not have heard of these names before but I hope now you realize there are so many more.
While we strive to remember the names of those faced racial injustices as Black Americans and overcome them, it is important to remember the names of those who fought to be greater than what they were destined to be as Black Americans in this country, including young people like me. This month is supposed to let us know that we can be greater.
“Black Lives Matter” is something we have had to scream at the top of our lungs as Black Americans continue to face racial inequality. Sometimes we are not heard. But we need to keep screaming “Black Lives Matter” for the success of our entire community so that recognizing Black Lives is pulled from being a trend for just one month a year and formed into being a lifestyle that we are committed to every day, all year round.
