Black History Month Doesn’t Advance America Whatsoever.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for celebrating achievements of African Americans. I’m very grateful for the what has been done to advance our culture. I acknowledge that they’ve had to overcome amazing boundaries.

But look at what I’m saying, I’m saying “they.” (Then again, I’m not black…)

That’s what I’m trying to get at. Black History Month was a noble idea, but by defining a month as “black” is still discrimination, is it not? We’re still acting like black people haven’t integrated into society, we’re still treating black people like something inferior by devoting, not eternity like it should be, but only a winter month to their achievements. I mean, we could make it equal and have a White History Month, but that would seem completely chauvinistic and racist of white people even though that wasn’t our intention.

On a side note, McNair in itself, as a school, does a terrible job observing holidays. A student in my class today complained that NO teachers observe Black History Month except in JROTC (This is one girl’s point of view that I take no credit for). Sure, it’s sad, but more and more, the month is starting to get more and more pointless because of the fact that integration is a norm. We don’t have racism in our schools (at least intense racism) and black people succeeding in society isn’t such a rarity. We’ve done precisely what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted: “…little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and little white girls as sisters and brothers.” I’ll admit, racism still exists, but if we’re going to devote an entire month to a race, why are we not doing anything to commemorate them? Also, regarding Veteran’s Day: it’s a federal law that all public schools observe Veteran’s Day; and year after year teachers complain that it’s a waste of time, a hassle with their lesson plans, and an overall annoyance. Hey teachers, where would your lesson plan be if veterans didn’t fight for your country in the first place?

Not only that, but what about the Asian, Hispanic, and European cultures? They worked just as hard to gain their acceptance into culture. Native Americans were thrust out of their homeland and into reservations. There are so many other cultures who had a difficult time, some that still do, and we can’t take a month for them?

Rather than alienating a month and defining it as Black/White/Hispanic/Other, it would be the most democratic thing to set aside a month for international culture appreciation. Then we can acquire more of a feeling of oneness, of unity, and of general appreciation for our diverse society. It would enrich our education and allow us to intermingle peacefully, and most importantly still preserve pride in our heritage.

But that’s just me.

- Therese Kathryn