Given Black History Month is around the corner, I am expecting to be asked about being black or blackness or whatever. There is no way for me to really answer these questions, but of course I do my best. Still, anything I can do answer in advance would probably be good. So, I went to the archives!!!!
I wrote this for the college newspaper wayback in 2007. The world has changed--African-American President!! On the other hand, it hasn't changed that much. I changed some words, who wouldn't? Still most of it is the same and I think it hold up well.
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Well, it is Black History Month again. As usually my immediate thought is that we got the shortest month. Black people have done a lot for this country; you could have at least given us January. I did not take up this space to complain however; instead I want to consider the importance of a "black" history month.
It is true; the average person cannot identify famous black inventors, politicians, educators, doctors, or artists. On the other hand, it is likely that person could not identify any famous white persons for the same thing. It is asking a lot of people who cannot find Iraq on a globe to remember things that happened five, fifty, or even 150 years ago. Still, the whole idea of a special month for X group is problematic. For example, April is…Poetry Month…no, wait, it is Math Month, no, that is not right, it is Zoo and Aquarium Month. April is all of these things, yet when April rolls around I think to myself, "How long until the semester is over?"
The problem with a special month is that people sleepwalk through it, leaving the meaning behind the month…meaningless. Do not get me wrong, the need to celebrate the unique culture of the many peoples that make up the United States is noble. Yet, being forced to do so has been, and continues to be, a source of resentment.
Recently, Francis Fuyukama, a guest at the upcoming Rollins Colloquy, wrote in Prospect Magazine that the American identity is rooted in a White Protestant culture. As a result, the things Americans most identify with themselves, "the famous Protestant work ethic, the American proclivity for voluntary association and the moralism of American politics are all by-products of this Anglo-Protestant heritage." This interpretation of American identity plays well in Peoria, but it is not really true.
At the turn of the twentieth century, many Americans were convinced what made this country great was that the process of creating the United States incorporated the best elements of many immigrant people and forged them into an "American" identity where deeds and ideas mattered more than class, traditions, and lineage. Basically, immigration and multiculturalism made American unique. There were many conceits in this "melting pot" idea. Still, the result is we consume the elements of many immigrants culture without thought. Our culture pulls from the food, language, and belief of many people from around the world, but strips away the markers of difference.
Reacting to this ideas inform Black History Month, Hispanic History Month, and Italian Heritage Month. Yet, unlike their Italian counterparts, African Americans still face questions about their worth in society. Questions that stem from continued marginality. Even as studies show a growth in the black middle-class, the fact remains that race and racism persists. For African-Americans, the incorporation of their cultural perspective is a bitter pill. On the one hand, urban music, food, and style are the very definition of "urban" culture, while at the same time resentment and resistance prevents African Americans societal participation. And make no mistake, it is resistance. Whether it is segregation that ensures the wealth building opportunities associated with homeownership do not affect black neighborhoods or the lack of access to financial services that contributes to a wealth gap between African-American and mainstream society, racial biases remain an important part of the black experience. So the need to recognize African Americans and other minorities as fully functional and contributing actors in the U.S. identity remains strong.
This commitment does not depend on recognition in a special period however; instead it requires us to consider how the strength of differing perspectives helps the United States and how U.S. society must make sure that we do not ignore the inequity that sometime come from struggle between the majority and the minority. For all of the fear associated with multiculturalism, the ideas at the heart of U.S. identity resonate with every American. As we face the new century, a global perspective informed by American popular culture is shrinking the distance between people. It is a good idea to celebrate difference in this circumstance even if only to demonstrate that those who are different than us need not fear us. This is a lesson we can take to heart every month of the year.
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