I have observed that Black History
Month, much like MLK Day, usually gives a politically correct, sanitized
version of history. It gives people the opportunity to tell not all historical
accounts, but just the ones that look good on paper or in a headline. This type
of thinking is not unique to the way our culture views black history, but all
history. Our culture has a habit of ignoring the struggles of history and instead
draws focus on false heroes and empty accomplishments of a certain era, ex.
Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, (which didn’t end slavery by
the way)
When we fail to tell all the truths
of history, it paves the way for people to deny reality. If people had a better
understanding of the history of black people in the US they would be much more
likely to admit certain disadvantages that exist in our society today. We have
so many people who know so little about history, yet they see evidence of a
history of discrimination everyday, they just don’t realize it. People fail to
see how modern things like the “war on drugs”, and insufficient school funding
descend from the vagrancy laws of the early 1900’s, which in turn come from
slavery. People fail to see how the evils of the past have transformed into
modern day social ills. It’s easy for people to criticize black people and tell
them to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” when all they see is the tip of
the iceberg. When the extent of peoples knowledge is that slavery was bad but
Lincoln ended it then after awhile MLK came along and fought for civil rights,
it leads people to believe that the fight for political suffrage is over and
that no one should ever complain about discrimination.
For
these reasons it is vital that people understand the real history of race in
the US. We won’t be able to change the status quo of discrimination if we don’t
even admit that it exists in the first place.
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