Blog Post #1: My Two Cents on…Black History Month
This month, the United States (U.S.) celebrates Black History Month. For me, Black History is U.S. history, like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, that is how I see the history of the U.S., like a puzzle with each piece representing a person, an event, or a time that has occurred and contributed to what and who we are as a nation.
With any puzzle, you don’t get to see or understand the whole picture when pieces are missing. Little or big holes leave the picture incomplete, making you wonder what you’re missing. These missing pieces of a puzzle prevent us from seeing all the details captured in the puzzle’s picture, or in this case, our nation’s history.
Because Black Americans have contributed to our nation since its’ inception, we can hardly hope to capture our complete and factual history without capturing all the people, events, and times that have occurred in our nation, the good, the bad, and the ugly. That includes the degradation, the hardships, and the culture that allowed a race of people to be minimized, marginalized, and grossly mistreated for no reason other than the color of their skin. That also includes the determination, the will, and the faith that this same race possesses, knowing we are capable, that we belong, and that we have earned our status as citizens and will continue to demand equality and fairness based on our humanity and what is right.
Just as significant are the contributions of Black Americans who have contributed to the development and growth of our nation. From life as slaves building the nation and creating the wealth that would be claimed by others; to living on the margins, being cheated, being made to feel less than and continuing to be mistreated simply based on the color of our skin; to creating our own space in the nation, making and creating contributions and inventions that would help our nation grow into the world leader it is today. All the while still dealing with the ramifications of slavery, racism, and hate but moving forward with determination and hope.
Yes, we celebrate Black history this month as part of our nation’s history. In doing so, we can clearly see where we, as a nation, have been, where we are, and where we can go from here with all our history intact and the puzzle complete. Only with a proper understanding of our history can we know who we are, what we can do, and where we can go from here.
As we celebrate Black History Month and the many, many contributions of Black Americans, remember it may only be pieces of the puzzle, but these pieces are crucial to understanding who we are as a nation, what we have done, and how we can avoid making the same or similar mistakes in the future. To quote George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
For what it’s worth, my two cents on Black History Month…let us remember our complete history, honorably claiming that Black History is a piece of the puzzle that is the history of our nation.