Guest editorial by John L. Horton
In recent years, certain celebrities, like Morgan Freeman and others, have questioned the continuing significance and ongoing commitment for the observance and celebration of Black History Month. They say that the time has come for Black History Month to be absorbed into the overall cultural and historical fabric of American society.
I answer them with a resounding, “Yes, Black History Month is (still) necessary!” I respectfully disagree with them. As a 66-year-old African-American male, I see things quite differently. While things have changed over my lifetime quite substantively and mostly for the betterment of all Americans, I would caution that “we” have not yet fully arrived in most social, economic and political aspects. Most African Americans still have much “to overcome.”
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate African Americans in unfair and unjust ways.
For these and other social, economic, political and cultural reasons, there is (still) a need and justification for the observance and celebration of Black History Month. Furthermore, Black History Month is not just about a month of history. Its “lessons” can reverberate throughout the year – and beyond. For me, its lessons have lasted a lifetime.
I have taught and written about black history and culture for over 30 years. Reading all kinds of black history, especially autobiographies and biographies, I discovered how much black people had done, not only in America, but also around the world. Over the years, I began writing articles and participating in black history and cultural diversity activities.
Even today when I feel dejected and depressed, I turn to my black heroes. I draw on their struggles and victories and their countless contributions. This restores my appreciation of where black people have been, where they are now, and hopefully where they will be one day.
Black History Month is a lifelong journey for me. It empowers me to find the strength to reach out again and again – not just in February, but throughout the year and a lifetime. Black History Month helps to instill pride, dignity, awareness and understanding among African Americans and other people whom they must relate to and interact with in everyday life.
Accordingly, Black History Month serves a good and honest and just purpose. It is a vehicle of heritage, culture and pride on a journey of love, understanding and acceptance. As such, there will always be a time, a place and a need for Black History Month.
John L. Horton, 66, a resident of Norfolk, Virginia, is a retired Marine sergeant major and recently retired juvenile probation officer. He has taught and written about black history and culture for over 30 years. Currently he is working as a volunteer with inner-city youths, families, and organizations.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I would suggest that the recent flap about “get over it” – if nothing else, and really, there is plenty else besides that – is a screaming testament to the necessity of a pointed and strong emphasis on black history. Not sure that it has to be restricted to one month, but I suppose that’s a way to make it a point of focus at least for that period of time. (Pardon my ignorance, but is there is a reason it’s February, the shortest month of the year?)
What’s really important, and I don’t know how to make this happen, is to make non-blacks pay attention. 😦
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate African Americans in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate women in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate homosexuals in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate Hispanics in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate Native Americans in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate Asians in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate Jews in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate the urban poor in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate really rich white people in unfair and unjust ways.
Even today, events and realities like Hurricane Katrina, civil rights, voting rights, Supreme Court appointments, social program cutbacks, tax cuts for the wealthy, disproportionate unemployment, economic disparity, and the like, affect and debilitate racists demagogues in unfair and unjust ways.
VJP — Clearly I empathize with the need for heroes. But the solution for all of these doesn’t seem to be in race.
* Katrina? FEMA failed, the State of Louisiana failed, emergency response failed, the City of New Orleans failed… government failed.
* Civil rights? A universal concern.
* Voting rights? A universal concern.
* Supreme Court appointments? Thomas (next to Scalia my favorite justice) comes to mind… but I shudder to wonder at the reasons why he is not adequate representation.
* Social program cutbacks? I think (or rather, would like to believe) you and I are of the same opinion regarding the programs that debilitate and dehumanize, versus the ones that enable and encourage.
* Tax cuts for the wealthy? A universal concern.
* Disproportionate unemployment? The solutions here are economic, even with race in mind any solution would be an economic one.
* Economic disparity? Economic solutions.
Now do these things affect African-Americans? Certainly, in similar ways it affects Hispanics, women, and all sorts of minorities (perceived or otherwise).
My point is ultimately this: I don’t object to holidays or ideas that celebrate diversity. What I shy away from are ideas that perpetuate a sense that something is owed, an entitlement. A holiday or commemoration that says “never forget” is one thing, a commemoration that says “never forget we are owed” is something else.
Now certainly the experience of African-Americans is unique, both in its scope, violence, its destruction of culture and dehumanizing intent (and effect). But what is the end game? When is the “debt” repaid? When do we move on?
Reparations could be paid… but how many hearts will change?
Apologies issued… but collectively is there sincerity?
Recognitions applied… but these have been applied before.
Education invested in… but what of those who do not acheive?
Parity acheived… but what is that worth if there is no respect?
Authors often talk about the “soft bigotry of lowered expectations,” and I beleive it is one that pervades both parties. We talk on and on about African-American coaches in the NFL… to the point where you wonder whether the pundits ramble as if to say “this is an event, because this would rarely happen again.”
It’s the old joke, and I hate to repeat it, but it runs along the theme “what do you call a black doctor?” You can guess the despicable six-letter response, usually followed by a litany of “what do you call a black _____”, with the same despicable response. The underlying racism is what’s so offensive, because no matter what the accomplishment, the end result is still the same.
Of course, there is a new version going around. “what do you call a black man flying an airplane?” Folks usually mumble that they’ve heard the joke before until the person asking the question yells “A PILOT!!! you racist sonofa…” at which point the room laughs and relaxes a little.
All that having been said, the point is that no matter what the reparations, apologies, education, opportunities, I would still hold firm that there’s one color most Americans will see beyond all others — green. Economic success has always made subsections of American society “white” per se. It did it for the Irish, the Italians, Slavs, Catholics, Asians… the list continues.
At some point in time, the mold of the past has to be broken. The natural trick to this is that the Irish, Italians, etc. came to America on their own accord… so how to get over that one single fact? All of the issues in the above article certainly do reflect very real problems, but those are problems that are almost near-universal ones that many Americans of very different backgrounds face, all of which have solutions in either the economic sphere (which changes not a single heart) or the charitable sphere (which has nothing to do with economy or government).
Perhaps I’m not smart enough to have the answer, but I’m certainly determined to help find it.
Of course Black History Month is still necessary. African-Americans are the greatest (though not only) exception to the great American founding myth, the “nation of immigrants”, which works well in assimilating people as diverse as Irish, Russians, and Vietnamese. Most African-Americans, though, didn’t come here of their own free will. They were imports, not immigrants, and that has always set them and their descendants apart, and kept them from being part of the “melting pot”.
To pretend that that history doesn’t exist, or that it somehow doesn’t matter today, is to bury one’s head in the sand. The barriers have been reduced remarkably in our lifetimes, but only because we have faced that history directly, even embraced it. If we turn away from that now, we can only go backward.
That was an excellent editorial and response from all. I’m a caucasian woman and I fell passionately about the issue of equality. While in college @ ODU I was so surprised how much I DIDNT know about the CR Movement and Black History in general (Michael Clemons was such an amazing prof!). I’ve tried to educate myself, celebrate small steps forward for my brothers and sisters in the African American community, and while I will never quite undertand what it is like I beleive events like Black History month are essential.There are days when I feel like great progress has been made and then ignorance rears it’s ugly head in the form of Rodney King, Amadou Diallo, Katrina, ect.
I’d love to see Black History Month become redundant.
Sadly, I can’t see that happening in my lifetime.
Yes. It is.
I am not going to go into a long winded post about why I feel it is, but suffice it to say last year, I learned… a great deal. I was asked to co-produce a vignette with UPN 27 for the police department and Black History Month. That research taught me so much that I “thought” I knew. Sounds funny. But true. While the final product showed less of my input than my ego wanted, it was a good product and the end result for me was knowledge.
we can never forget who we are as americans, and this mouth is part of our history, everyones history we have to keep it to remind us why we have it in the frist place.
Generally I’m fine with, but my only reservation stems from how I’ve seen history taught. I think that everything is seperated into groups and we never get a chance to view our history as a tapestry, as all living together.
But black history month is very important and I encourage everyone to check out PBS, i think this weekend, where they will be doing a long documentary on American slavery and the role slaves played in America. It looks tremendous.
Note: the comment from Anon was caught in my spam filter, which is why it is just appearing now.
Black History month is necessary because it is history, not because it is “Black History.”
Bill Gates made a great quote in the recent issue of TIME.
“Learning is about creating a context for motivation. It’s about why should you learn things.”
Please make peace with yourselves and the rest of America will respond in kind. But you need to love yourself first, that’s the only way the scars will heal. (I’ll keep saying it till it’s heard)
Save our history before it’s gone forever:
http://www.savinggraves-us.org/va/pebblecreek/index.html
I’m trying to motivate…………….
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section9.shtml
I’ll add, if you continue to use your race as a club to beat everyone else over the head the results will be the same.
As Dr. Phil would say “how’s that workin for ya?”
Vivian, if thats the right John Horton I believe I had his wife Lois Horton as a professor at Mason. Very cool lady and the class I took with her was awesome. But it might not be the same one.
Chris – not the same one.