February Reflections

From the archives:

The Importance of Black History

A friend of mine asked me what I thought about an article he read that questioned the fairness and necessity of Black History Month. Do we really still need it? Why do we need a special history month for any group or part of our society? At some point will we have a Latino History Month?

My response has been sensitized with my newly acquired awareness around some of these ‘issues’ and ‘-isms.’ By doing personal growth work around my own white privilege and racism, I am more acutely aware than ever before of the painful and discriminatory imbalance in the way history has been taught in our country. Since the first black slaves were brought to America over 500 years ago, we have primarily had White History, All Year, Every Year in our schools, textbooks and courses.

In order to restore balance, America may need to embrace other nonwhite peoples’ history in special ways for decades. We will need a Black History Month and maybe a Latino History Month, too, until our American History books are more comprehensive and inclusive of the more ‘left out’ American’s history.

From my perspective, we need to go far enough to the side of giving special recognition to the previously ignored parts of our story, until a more balanced view is attained and maintained. In addition to telling and owning the terrible parts of these histories, we could also embrace the good parts. Non-white men and women of all colors have made huge contributions to our growth and development on many different levels. Giving these accomplishments more attention and celebration is part of the healing and growth necessary to progress beyond the past and toward beloved community. Considering the magnitude of the imbalance, we have barely begun to re-balance our culture and history.

Gratefully Seeking,
Stephan