Why EVERYONE needs to participate in BHM

Written By: Eesha Bellad

What is black history month and how did it come to start?

The month of February is a time to celebrate and commemorate the success of the African American race and acknowledge their uncomfortable past in the US. Black History Month was started in 1976 in bicentennial celebrations of the US and was originally noted as Negro History Week in 1926 by Carter G. Wooden. The month became a way to celebrate and recognize the centuries of racism that Black Americans had suffered.The month is also celebrated as a time for Black people to feel proud of their heritage. Woodsen had chosen a week in February to honor Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays were celebrated in February because of the monumental success they brought to the abolition movement. Woodson also founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) in 1915 which became the official promoter for Black History Month.

The celebration of Black History Month is imperative in mending the wounds that systemic racism has integrated into its institutions. "In the South, they tried to suppress Black history or African American history in the public schools," says W. Marvin Dulany -- the current president of the ASALH, "particularly about things like Reconstruction and slavery, literally distorting the curriculum." “At the university level, Black studies programs were almost nonexistent, he says”. "California was the first state to actually mandate Black history in 1951 for the public schools." And yet still the state of Florida banned the course AP African American history from being taught in schools justifying their decision by claiming that “the woke indoctrination” of students would violate state laws restricting how race can be taught in the classroom. In 2021, the state Board of Education banned public schools from teaching critical race theory. While the US has come a long way in making reparations towards its racist history, its crimes cannot be excused as just “history” when the same ideologies are being endorsed today. The only way to accomplish this is through the recognition of Black History Month. Today, Black History Month is also celebrated in Canada every February and the United Kingdom in October.

The 2023 for Black History Month is Black Resistance.

African Americans hace expressed resistance against ongoing oppression through the fight against Jim Crow Laws, lynchings, police brutality, and racial restrictions. Their resistance is expressive of the US value towards democracy and a free country for each individual. We must celebrate Black Resistance as we would anything else.

The ASALH says that “By resisting, Black people have achieved triumphs, successes, and progress as seen in the end of chattel slavery, dismantling of Jim and Jane Crow segregation in the South, increased political representation at all levels of government, desegregation of educational institutions, the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in DC.”

How can everyone celebrate it today?

There are many ways to celebrate Black History Month without spending a dime! An impactful way is to learn about noteworthy black figures and their contributions. You could also read, and share books by black authors, listen to or read “The 1619 Project” by the New York Times, participate in online events -- during Black History Month the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) offers a range of virtual events and conversations that affirm and preserve the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history. The list goes on! It is important that while you may have never been a victim of the awful racist institutions against African Americans, you must stand in camaraderie and unity with Black Americans to garner support and create systemic change in society.