Today is Black History… and every day and every month prior to this one. It has been said that Black History IS American History, yet American still excludes this history and that of others from the architecture of this great nation. That is because greatness like history is told only from the perspective of the victor…not the victim. As Chimamanda Adichie says about the Single Story, “the way to possess a people is to begin their story with secondly”. Begin with the colonialism of Africa and not with the great dynasties, Kings and Queens that ruled. Begin with Alexander the Great defeating Hannibal of Cartridge and not with Hannibal crossing the Alps on Elephants and being too far from home before meeting Alexander. Black History does not begin with slavery in America nor with the enslavement of Africans. It is up to everyone to truly celebrate Black History by learning the truth about Black history as told by Black people in Black books.
Therefore, today is Black History…and every day and month prior to this one. Although this IS Black History Month, which is 28 days and 29 every four years, Black History like so many other histories that may contradict the glorious building of this great nation is a daily occurrence. It is not the past heroism of Crispus Attucks nor the past architectural splendor of Benjamin Banneker. No, it is even beyond the recent glass ceiling breaking of Roz Brewer, the new CEO of Walgreens. If these names do not ring a bell that is because the bell has been tolling at mid-night on past Black contributions and greatness, as if we are a great Race of the past without any more to offer, today.
However, today is Black History…and every day and month prior to this one. Accept this day in Black History is within the confines of a Black History Month, founded by the father of Black History, Carter G. Woodson. Carter G. Woodson is the author of the seminal and still timely master piece, The Mis-Education of the Negro – a must read for all pre-service teachers and administrators looking to work in Urban-defined systems. Assumptions from the title are that this is a book for Black people only. The title is a counter indoctrination of how a great race of people are mis-educated to believe we are second to all, below the most, and are incapable of anything beyond feebleness. “Black People were not called lazy, until we stopped working cotton fields for free”. The purpose of Black History Month is not to simply celebrate the past accomplishments or firsts. It is also about a recognition of right now and tomorrow. The month is a reminder to the United States that our history removed from the United States, make the United States as it proclaims be – non-existent. In fact, Cornel West argues in Race Matters that the United States would not exist and be the economic power it is without the labor of the African enslaved.
Black History Month is an acknowledgement to all races, but Black people in particular that this great nation is not monolithic nor monocultural, but a cacophony of intellect, creativity, artistry, and unacknowledged and unappreciated brilliance. The Brilliance of Black Boys: Cultivating School Success in the Early Grades by Brian Wright in addition to Teaching Beautiful Brilliant Black Girls by Bola Delano-Oriaran are contemporary examples of the measures and structures built to minimize the Black cultures’ genius and the frameworks that we use to destroy those structures and measures. These works along with The Mis-Education of the Negro are a few of the many resources available to unpack in order to fully become of aware of why Black history is not only a month long celebration wavering every four years between 28 and 29 days. Today is Black History…and every day and every month prior to this one.
So here is the call to action as we embrace, celebrate, reflect, and engage in Black History Month. Utilize the resources shared in this essay to make oneself aware of not only the contributions, the inventions, the famous, and infamous, but lean in to learning how to disrupt the systemically manufactured menaces of the Black community and Black education. Continue to speak out and up about the injustice and inequities:
- Equip yourself with the awareness and knowledge that Black scholars provide you – their words and research are from their perspective, their lived reality…not assumptions and theories.
- Educate yourself on frameworks that provide scaffolds to learning and creativity and that promote access to opportunity and innovation.
- Expect genius and brilliance in every interaction from all Black people, not just the ones you like.
- Elevate our presence into the daily national conversation – not speaking for us – but speaking your Truth about our Blackness.
Lastly and most importantly, do the work. Each one must teach one about what we have learned and teach them to teach others what they have learned. This means exercising your agency to celebrate the Black History happening next to you in the schools, in the home office, in the bank, at the stop light, in the grocery story, at the doctor’s office, and raising their hand - asking a confusing question. See us as we are and with same the potential that exists in all races - not as you have been taught to see us, through stained glasses of European perfection and Model Minority assimilation.
To support your journey with Black History, here are some resources to access:
The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson
The Brilliance of Black Boys by Brian Wright
Teaching Beautiful Brilliant Black Girls by Bola Delano-Oriaran
They Came Before Columbus by Ivan Vann Sertima
Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison
No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People by Ivory Toldson
Don't Believe the Hype: Fighting Misinformation about African Americans by Farai Chideya
Black History Resource Kit/GLAAD
More Than a Map: Black History all Around You
