Today is February 1st, and that means in the United States and Canada it’s Black History Month. This is an interesting time. We have an outgoing African-American president, and we’re in an election year. We will have to be mindful of the primaries as well as the various events and ceremonies around Black history. It has been said that Black history is American history, but sometimes America wants to forget that. Part of the purpose of the month is to remind America, and ourselves too of that fact. There are a number of interesting ways to recognize Black History Month online and off.
Culturally, Black people are under assault. With Joseph Fiennes slated to play Michael Jackson, is there any doubt that we still need this month? How much of an insult is that? But.. it’s a problem if Idris Elba plays James Bond… right. Seems fair minded.
Speaking of cultural attacks, you couldn’t read a single Black blog on the web without hearing about the controversy around the Oscars. That’s reason enough to continue recognizing this time of year as a needed observation of Black History.
At a time in our history where it behooves us to construct a plan for a post-Obama era Black agenda, some of us seem to be circling the wagons and rehashing old ideas. Among the most curious of these is the notion that Black people need to join the Republican Party to “balance out” both parties so the Democrats won’t take the Black vote for granted. That’s pretty counter-intuitive, in my opinion. With an angry rich white man from the Northeast with border state politics as the face of the Republican party, good luck with that. Since when have Black Americans gained anything in this country (as a collective, not individually) by adapting to a conservative outlook? Not to mention, that by accepting this dubious “solution” as such, you are still allowing the two party framework to determine what you can, or can’t work towards. Just saying.
Well, there is surely more to be said, but I will give you a chance to sound off. Why do you think we still need Black History Month?
We need Black History Month because books are being written to teach children about ‘happy slaves’ because we have campaigns like Hands Up Don’t Shoot & Black Lives Matter. Because we are now # on a Twitter feed. It seems that Miss America needs a wake up call! What happened to the American Dream?
Agreed, Jovanhanna. The American Dream seems to be a nightmare for Black America. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.