As much as I love Black History Month, I still have a slight gripe in how it is celebrated year to year. It is a time to honor the past and future Black figures as well as historical events, however, I think a lot of times many people (knowingly or unknowingly) tend to highlight the same people but what is more annoying is that some people think learning/teaching about slavery IS Black History Month. Slavery is a PART of Black History but it does not DEFINE Black History Month.
Instead of teaching or showing videos about the treacherous life of slaves, there are plenty of documentaries/movies and unknown Black History facts/figures who don’t widely get promoted or recognized for their great achievements. For example, some people do not know a Black man created the first traffic light, a Black woman invented the ironing board, a Black man invented the refrigerator truck system, a Black man created the gas mask or a Black man invented the “Super Soaker.”
The point is there is a great deal of Black History that is being overlooked everyday and we need to remedy this by bringing this information to the forefront for all to see and hear. There are plenty of African Americans in leadership roles in the corporate world as well as in the global community who don’t receive enough recognition for their achievements. Black History is happening everyday and I believe it's time we change in how we spend this month reflecting on its historical value to the world.
With that said, it is going to be my personal mission this month to research and share Black History facts on my blog that highlight people, events, achievements that I did not know.
What are your thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment