As the month of February comes to a close, how many are reflecting on Black History Month? I’d bet that there are more people pondering the events of Valentine’s Day and what they did over reading week. Chances are that many do not recognize what this month is supposed to celebrate.
Black history is certainly not irrelevant. Youth should have the resources to educate future generations about black contributions towards a better society for mankind as a whole. We should, nonetheless, remember that there are many events in the history of other cultures, forming the basis of Canadian society today, worth equal celebration and education.
But forget designating months for the history of other races. I’m not convinced that we benefit from Black History Month. While the purpose is supposed to be celebrating black history and educating others about it, can a significant amount of us claim we absorbed any information? How many of us, black or not, can honestly say they learned something about black history this month, beyond a few token pieces of information about the inventor of the 19th century’s most effective steam engine lubricant? (African-Canadian Elijah McCoy, don’t you know!)
Carter G. Woodson, director of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and creator of Negro History Week—now expanded into an entire month—specifically reached out to both blacks and whites in his endeavour to improve race relations. Although the original motives were filled with good intentions and aimed to eliminate racial mistrust at the time, it now serves to make us all feel awful for the slavery committed by and inflicted upon ancestors none of us remember.
I don’t intend to say that the horrors of slavery were—and are—in any way acceptable. However, rather than have a month of looking back on a time when our generation wasn’t even thought of, let alone born, let’s move forward, taking steps towards a future of equality. Race-specific history months serve to promote segregation, instead of improving understanding between culture. If we wish to have a peaceful future for our children, acknowledgment and acceptance of all races, cultures, and ethnicities is required, not singling one particular group out.
