Every year when this time rolls around to discuss Black History Month, I recall middle school where I received an assignment. The assignment was to pick a famous black person and display that person in a school-made imitation of a wax museum. I was one of eight black kids in a private Christian school. When I told my mom about the assignment, she asked me who I wanted to be, and I remember telling her about all the slaves the class discussed, Rosa Parks, and others during the period of the 1960’s. Somehow, I ended up being Oprah Winfrey. I do not remember who the white kids were or if they even participated, it’s funny how some details disappear.
Anyhow, many years later my experience and take on Black History Month remains the same: all of the building of America and Black people have been diminished to a month. I remember being in college and an instructor dismissing the class early after I voiced my opinion on a topic we were discussing. She said that slaves were nannies who took care of white women’s babies. When I spoke up and told her, slaves were breastfeeding white babies because white women thought that breastfeeding their children would have a negative impact on their breasts even though their husbands were raping their black slaves and admiring those beaten-down breasts.
After I graduated from there, I moved on to University and once again took a course that discussed African Americans in Slavery. Many black authors were read in that course. One poem I really enjoyed was a poem called “And You Call Me Colored.” I have witnessed white people turning colors based on what was happening to them, and this poem states it so plainly. Not only was that poem impactful but there are a few strong Americans that I have always admired, which I will list below.
- Malcolm-X. I admire him because, in his early years, his take was to give back to people what they give to you. Someone shoots your loved one, shoot theirs. Someone spits on you, spit on them. Why must one race of people be inferior to another?
- W.E.B Dubois. I admire him because he was not only smart and educated but because he also stood for justice for Black Americans. He was stronger than most in his time. It is so interesting how when people name black people, they tend to name the ones who wanted to make peace in a time when all parties did not want peace. I am the one who will mention someone like W.E.B Dubois.
- My Mother. She has always stared people back in the eye and spoken directly to them. She has never been afraid to tell people of any race how she feels.
I heard recently a song that said, “They want our culture but don’t show love, They want our money but they don’t want us (Snow tha Product)”. She’s Mexican and it’s the same for darker Americans. White people bought Africans over, sold Africans to other whites, made Africans slaves, raped Africans to create African Americans. Then freed African Americans and the Africans that were left to still treat them disgracefully. There was segregation, hangings, little to no education, and abuse. As time moved, so did the types of abuses. Now here we are in the 21st century and there are still hangings, even legislature to legalize hangings, segregation, lack of housing, lack of food, lack of employment advancement opportunities, disrespect, income disparities, legalized police murders, imprisonment disparities, and the list goes on and on.
For one month, maybe there should be an attempt at leveling the playing field for the darker Americans. Perhaps providing them with housing opportunities they can afford, providing increases and promotions if they earned them according to the same measuring stick that is used when measuring white Americans, and providing them with the same educational opportunities as their white counterparts, among other ways to level the field. Black History Month is just that, a month. During that month, darker Americans will still be treated the same, so carry on.
Disencumbering my Chains 