We love it when our authors take the time to write something for us, and you, here on the Fernblog. So it is our distinct pleasure to present our latest guest blog entry from Gloria Ann Wesley, author of Chasing Freedom. February is African Heritage Month (or Black History Month, depending on which side of the border you reside), and we asked Gloria to share her thoughts on the matter.
African Heritage Month
Some say, “When the contributions of people of African descent are acknowledged, when Black people are embedded and affirmed through our curriculum and treated with equality in the media, then there will no longer be a need for Black History Month.” So after February, when March arrives, and a month of singing, dancing and proclaiming the accomplishments of Black people from mainly the United States is over, what impact has the month had on reaching these goals and changing attitudes?
African Heritage Month began in 1926 with the announcement of “Negro History Week,” by American historian Carter G, Woodson, some 86 years ago. At first it was met with enthusiasm and drew the interest of progressive whites; however today, many feel rightfully or wrongly that it is divisive. An annual event here in Canada, African Heritage Month’s main objective was to level the imbalance in historical perspective. Because history has often been told by and about those who hold power, the contributions and achievements of people of African descent have been largely ignored. Theoretically, then, African Heritage Month should not only reclaim the history of Black people of African descent, but also the history of the majority. But does it?
My question then becomes, does African Heritage Month advance these goals? Teaching our history separately somehow diminishes the contributions of Blacks and gives the impression that it co-exists separately from “regular” history. Our history is woven into every aspect of North American life and should be taught as such, giving everyone a fuller appreciation of our accomplishments by celebrating our history, culture and heroes in the context of being part of the historical record. Black history is world history and should be integrated fully into school curriculums.
Is African Heritage Month benefitting those for whom it was created? Are we preaching to the converted and failing to reach white historians and people in positions of power to make a difference and reduce racism? The celebration is now 86 years old and considering that President Obama receives more hate mail than all the other presidents combined and here in Canada the people of color continually face discrimination and racism, is the impact of African Heritage Month even measurable? Change has come about because of the hard work and dedication of the Human Rights Commission, folks sitting on committees and people vocalizing their grievances over unfair practices in our schools and institutions. They work hard to advance our cause and unfortunately, most go unrecognized, even at our celebrations, focusing on the famous and the past.
Are we taking Black history seriously? Does running an official “Black History Month,” wherein we sing, dance and tell of a past that only exalts, or replaying Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech until it begins to lose its genuineness really help? Has the month boosted the self-esteem of our young people, or does current pop culture have more influence on our youth? Is there more physical work to be done to ensure that the history of African Americans is now fused into mainstream history? Are employers adapting more inclusive practises? The mission is clear, and how we get there requires more than a month of entertaining ourselves, not that we couldn’t do this any time we wanted to get together.
Dr. King and Rosa Parks didn’t talk about the past. They didn’t put on a performance. They used peaceful protest to draw attention to their condition in their time. Seeing how people fight injustice and studying how unjust practises devalues all human experiences sharpens our empathy. And when we sit together with others, we learn that we all have history and we all have a story to tell. To quote Bob Talbert, “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.”
Recognizing our heritage in a separate distinct month cannot fulfill the dream of a world where all human beings are affirmed, connected and empowered as one. In an ideal world, we would sit and drink together, talk about our history in a global context and admit that it was not perfect, but that we are willing to do better and leave a fine legacy as inhabitants of the planet Earth. This we could celebrate every day of the year.
–by Gloria Ann Wesley
For more information on Chasing Freedom, click here.