The importance of Black History Month
Black History Month, officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in February of 1976, celebrates African Americans throughout U.S. history, including those who achieved notable “firsts” like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, and Barack Obama. Most of us have probably heard of these aforementioned individuals, but the history of our country is replete with many examples of people of color who should have received “historic worthy” mention, but alas, the history books mostly omit references to their lives.
Each year for the past decade I have written a column on the importance of Black History Month. I grew up in a small, white-bread town without the benefit of an exposure to other races and cultures, with the exception that our church helped support missionaries in Africa and periodically they would send reports and pictures of their “flocks.” That exception in no way prepared me for understanding other races and cultures.
When I went to college, I learned of an organization on campus called the Black Culture Organization, and I attended the fall inaugural meeting of that group. As I walked through the door that first night, I felt, for the very first time in my life, what it might be like to be in the minority. Conversations stopped and young men and women of color just stared at me. The president of the organization, recognizing the awkwardness of the situation, asked with a smile, “Are you lost?” I replied that I didn’t think so — I told the group about my very white background and said that I felt my education relative to race and culture had been completely inadequate and I was hoping that they would allow me the honor of joining so that I might learn from them.
My several years as a member of the organization helped me gain a much better understanding and perspective of the role that minorities have played in the development of this country and allowed me to learn about men and women of color, many of whom became good friends.
I would like to think that we are living in a post-racial society, but nothing could be further from the truth. Racism and racial discrimination are still very woven into the tapestry of our society. Sadly, we are now seeing a growing sentiment relative to our own history that precludes the teaching of anything that isn’t part of the heroic development of America. Personally, I love America, sins and all, and I believe that as Americans we are strong enough to acknowledge our shortcomings.
How many of you have ever heard of Mary Kenner? If you are a woman, you owe her a giant debt of gratitude. She is the woman we can thank for inventing and developing the sanitary belt. Prior to her invention in 1957, women were using cloth pads during their menstrual periods. Kenner’s simple idea was to create an adjustable belt with a moisture-proof pocket for a sanitary napkin. A sad truth was that at the time she invented this, it was still illegal for women of color to apply for patents. She persevered, however, and ultimately, decades later, she was able to patent it. She never gained wealth or recognition, but she is still the only African American woman in history to file five patents concerning women’s health issues.
Although I am student of history, I was largely unaware of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, also referred to by Booker T. Washington as the “Negro Wall Street.” Subsequent to the Civil War and Reconstruction, Oklahoma became a refuge for freed slaves looking to start a new life. It was here that Black residents could get loans to build and create commerce. A number of men and women of color pooled their resources in order to offer these loans, which bore great fruit — schools, a newspaper, grocery stores, movie theaters, churches and many other businesses thrived, and as they did so, the Black community advocated for their legal rights as citizens, an action that galled many white people in the community.
That newspaper, The Tulsa Star, became the voice of positive change for minorities. But this story has a tragic ending. In 1921, amid growing racial tensions, a newspaper article in the white Tulsa Tribune accused a young black man of raping a white teenage girl. On May 31 and June 1, over 300 Black residents were murdered by whites, while 80 businesses were burned or looted. Growing up, I was never exposed to the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre. And why not? Because it didn’t fit the narrative that the fledgling America was to be a beacon on the hill devoid of injustices.
American history can include our triumphs and our tragedies. We can learn greatness by understanding the deeds of our “heroes,” and indeed they are legend, but we can learn humility from studying the lives of those who have had no voice, who have been relegated to the dustbin of history.
The issue of racial equality and inclusion is complex and each of us should examine our own behavior and beliefs and seek to enhance our awareness and understanding. Until we embrace the reality that history should include the stories of all Americans and acknowledge the importance of inclusivity, we will never achieve the goal of racial harmony.