BLACK HISTORY 101
Every year at this time, we hear the joke: “They chose February as Black History month because it’s the shortest month of the year.”  The joke is so old that many take it seriously, and although many a truth is spoken in jest, the problem is that it severely underestimates  the history and value of Black History Month.

Black History Month, originally Negro History Week, was established in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson.  He selected the second week in February because it coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  Woodson, a Harvard educated historian, wanted the week to be used to celebrate Black achievement and educate all people about the significant contributions Black people made to this country.  By the 1970s, Negro History Week became Black History Month because of widespread observances within the Black community. 

They didn’t choose the month.  We did.

Even more troublesome than the joke is the recurring statement made by some in the Black community that Black History Month should disappear altogether.  Morgan Freeman recently said so during a 60 Minutes interview; Congressman Harold Ford said so when speaking at a Black History Month at Lane College in Tennessee.  According to them, there is no need for Black History Month; Black history is American history, and if people would simply stop identifying themselves racially, racism would vanish.  This makes a certain kind of sense. Things do seem to disappear when they are swept under the rug.

Of course, we know that things aren’t what they seem.  Black history may be American history, but it has never been valued as such.  And we all know that when people say American, they mean white. 

Black History Month should be celebrated because of the achievements, large and small, that we made which continue to go unnoticed.  Everyday activities that we take for granted would not be possible if Black people and, by extension, the history we made, were brushed aside as easily as some suggest. 

Imagine, as many often have, the U.S. without Black people.  Instead of the usual cliches about how much poorer the country would be without Black contributions to dance, music, or athletics, consider this.  Reading this of  issue of Urban Spectrum at home, at night wouldn’t be possible, if not for the contributions of a Black inventor who made electric lights cheap and affordable.  When you drive your car, the reason the engine doesn’t seize up is because a Black inventor designed a system to lubricate the engine.  When you stop at a light, someone Black invented it.  The same person who invented the traffic light also invented the gas mask used by firefighters and soldiers. When you go to the grocery store to shop, a Black person came up with the process making it possible for food to be freshly transported across the country.  Every time you open a mailbox, wash and dry your clothes, mow your lawn, water your lawn, tee up a golf ball, or store information on on floppy drive, it was because someone Black was there to figure out a way to do it. .
If you should become ill, a Black person helped develop chemotherapy, open heart surgery, synthetic cortisone or a machine that preserved kidneys for transplantation. And, just so we are clear, six Black scientists worked on the development of the atomic bomb.

Black History Month should continue to be celebrated because Black people have been and continue to be central to this country, a fact needs to be acknowledged as long as our contributions are trivialized and ignored.  And while Black history may be American history, the Black experience is ours, and needs to be honored because we are the only ones who will do so.

Tyrone Yarbrough, Copy Editor