This is my fourth installment in my series of posts on this year’s Black History Month. The previous posts included:
- Operation: Steal Black, from February 15, 2009
- What It Takes To Be President, from February 8, 2009
- BHM Fail, from February 1, 2009
Also, while not part of the Black History Month posts canon, I would also throw in my post from February 18, 2009 called A Disturbing Cartoon as it involves a current event issue that many are relating to a discussion of race.
A long time ago, I would have bristled at the idea of a specific month set aside for Black history. Over the years, though, I recognized the potential for dialogue, exchange and learning that may happen when something like Black History Month was going on. One of the notable vocal detractors of a month dedicated to Black history is actor Morgan Freeman. Here’s a very brief, but telling, clip of his discussion with Mike Wallace about the very same issue:
Now it’s no secret that I’ve hated Morgan Freeman since the film, Bruce Almighty. In that movie, he revealed that, yea, Freeman was truly the one jerking us around who is most often referred to as God. Later in his “movie career” he shewed us that he can jerk over the bird kingdom in a film called March of the Penguins. There he droned on-and-on, all the while penguins suffered, died and sometimes failed to reproduce. Damn you, Morgan Freeman!
But in all seriousness, I’ve been giving the idea of even having Black History Month some credence because I thought that it would be an educational opportunity to learn something about what Morgan Freeman considers American history. Has anyone — whether black or white, red or yellow, rich or poor — learned anything this month? I know I have — not as White, not as Black, but as an American. I’m on Morgan Freeman’s side that Black history is American history.
But ending racism by not talking about race? Could it be that easy? Maybe so.
Personally, I’m glad there’s no White History Month. I don’t have a lot of identification as a white person, and I don’t think that a lot of other white people hold that identification as well, so there wouldn’t be too much point. I’m more inclined to honor my Scottish heritage, since I can actually see uniquely Scottish people who have significantly impacted history. I would have a hard time dealing with a discussion of uniquely white American’s accomplishments — slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, etc. Yeah, I know white people have actually done good things, but White History Month would bring up a lot of negative stuff and probably be more divisive in the end.
So, in summary, if you learned something this month, good for you. I’m pretty sure most people haven’t. While, for me, this was a good learning experience, I’m down with Morgan Freeman on this one now. Black history is American history and, as such should be a part of every American’s civic education. You can’t pigeon-hole American history into the shortest month of the year. Great, now we’ll have to have a series on American History Month and the lack of knowledge Americans have in the basics. Geez, this blogger’s work is never done…
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