Smith: Black History is American History

I was a history major when I attended Boston College. One or two of my high school teachers tried to talk me out of majoring in history in college, but it was always one of my favorite subjects, especially U.S. history, and that is what I wanted to study. I remember one time when I was in college, a classmate asked me why I majored in history, saying he was more interested in what was happening in the present. I replied that history was relevant to what was happening in the present, reminding him that those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.

Christine Smith

Unfortunately, if you are only taught selective history, then the all of lessons of history are not learned. So many of us were only taught white history while learning about American history in school. The contributions of non-white Americans and the history of oppression of non-white Americans were often left out or glossed over at best. That is one reason why we celebrate Black History Month every February.

The origins of Black History Month date back to 1915. In the summer of that year, Carter Woodson, a black American, traveled from Chicago to Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of emancipation in Illinois. The celebration included an exhibit of black history. The exhibition was so successful that Mr. Woodson joined with others to form the Association for the Study of Negro Life to promote a scientific study of black life and history in the United States. The association decided to popularize knowledge about black history and announced the first Negro History Week in February 1926. February was chosen because it was the birthday month of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom played a prominent role in shaping black history in America. The association pressed schools to use Negro History Week to demonstrate what students learned all year long. The idea was not only to learn about black history during that week, but to emphasize that it should be part of the regular curriculum.

In the 1940s efforts began within the community to expand the teaching of black history week beyond schools to the public. In the 1960s the shift began towards celebrating all month long and since 1976, when President Gerald Ford declared February Black History Month, the country has been observing it every year. Canada also celebrates Black History Month in February, while the Netherlands and the United Kingdom celebrate in October.

It is clear that there continues to be a need for Black History Month here in the U.S. Most adults were never taught black history in school, as our history lessons focused only on the history of white Americans. Current students often still are not taught an accurate or in-depth history nor about the achievements of black Americans. In addition, there is a lack of comprehensive instruction surrounding slavery and civil rights. Many students learn simply that the Civil War ended slavery, that Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for civil rights, the Civil Rights Act was passed and that addressed racial inequalities in our country. There is little to no analysis of how and why slavery came to exist in the United States nor a focus on the systemic policies that were put in place to oppress black Americans during Reconstruction and beyond.

A 2017 study by Teaching Tolerance found that only 8 percent of high school seniors would identify slavery as a central cause of the Civil War. Younger students often learn about Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth without much, if any, context about why they had to fight for freedom. Without context, we cannot connect the past to the present. This makes it harder to recognize the oppressive systems that were put in place and that continue to exist today to oppress black people. Unaffected by the systemic racism that exists in our country and not having been taught about them, white Americans often have a hard time identifying these policies.

In Canton, I have been encouraged by the Community in Unity series introduced in the Canton Citizen earlier this month. It highlights the contributions of black citizens here in Canton. The recent formation of the Canton Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (CDEI) is another positive sign. CDEI is hosting a virtual Black History Month celebration on Tuesday, February 23. I encourage all Canton residents to attend and it is easy to do so from the comfort of your own home. (Details of the event and sign up information are in the Datebook section of the paper.) I have attended similar, previous presentations by the school group Canton Families Embracing Diversity, and if this event is anything like these others, you will not be disappointed. There is so much more for all of us to learn. I know that I still have much to learn. After all, black history is American history.

Christine Smith is a mother of three, an attorney and longtime Canton resident.

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Posted by Christine Smith on Feb 26 2021. Filed under Featured Content, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.