It’s more than a month, it’s an American legacy

“I don't want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.”  ~Morgan Freeman

Today we kick off Black History Month. During the month of February our nation acknowledges the contributions by black Americans. While I think it’s important to recognize, as a person of color I have mixed emotions about the value our society gets from this national acknowledgement. The high-level view during the month makes me feel like it’s a PC way our society and culture checks the box for addressing conversations and issues relevant to black Americans.  

We pay tribute to a few civil rights icons, their contributions, and remember why their actions are still relevant and matter today. However, it’s just scratching at the service. It doesn’t get to the “pink elephant” in the room, racism, its 400-year plus legacy, or the detrimental effects that still weigh heavy on our public and private institutions and the lives of all Americans.

Having difficult conversations to advance our nation on topics of race, institutionalized racism and the affects in communities of color still eludes us. For me, Morgan Freeman’s quote reinforces why this matters. The sentiment behind his words still rings true today. Black history is American history. We say it, but do our leaders at the community, state, and national level believe it? I’m not always sure they do.

I look at our current president and wonder if he really believes in his administration’s Black History Month Proclamation from 2017. I question his authenticity after multiple news and media organizations recently reported he used racist language to disparage and undermine the contributions of immigrants that would potentially come from Africa and South America compared to white immigrants who would come from countries like Norway. It was also disturbing to see U.S. senators like Republican Senator David Perdue of Georgia, Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and the Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen couldn’t recall if the president used racist language.

Our nation remains divided. When it comes to conversations of race and racism, it appears we lack the drive to sit down, actively listen, and talk to each other. Instead we wait for tragic events like police shootings or for the media to report about individuals in positions of power like Jerry Jones, Donald Sterling, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) or State Sen. Jake Knotts (R-S.C.) who used blatant racist language.

Our reactive approach puts us in our corners and pits us against each other. Like a boxing match, we wait for the bell and the right opportunity to strike and KO our opponents. It also allows racist trolls the chance to add negative rhetoric to the conversation and deepen divisions instead of having informed conversations.

Black History Month gives us an opportunity to deal with the skeletons from our past, but it doesn’t stop at the end of this month. Black history month recognition as well as the recognition to other communities of color uniquely tells the American story and weaves together our legacy.