Black History Month is a tool for unity

Black History Month is an annual observance in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom of achievements made by black Americans and their central role in U.S. and world history. The commemoration has grown from being just a weekly observance, fittingly called “Negro History Week,” which was shaped by Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woods and other prominent African-Americans at a time of civil turmoil in America to a monthly observance every February.

The origins of Black History Month began in 1915, 50 years after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States and six years after the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

At the same time, Woodson and prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an association dedicated to researching and supporting achievements by black Americans and other persons of African descent. Today it’s known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).

The group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Once blacks were given basic human rights, numerous organizations began to emerge from the woodwork to help the progression of the black race.

These events inspired communities and universities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures. Mayors across the country began issuing annual declarations recognizing Negro History Week.

By the late 1960s, Negro History Week developed into Black History Month on many campuses, thanks in part to black American leaders including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson. In their own methods, they pushed the issue of the Civil Rights Movement as a vital point in the positive progression of America. President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Since then, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month, in addition to applying a specific theme each February. This February’s theme is Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories. The stories of America cannot be told without preserving and reflecting on the places where African-Americans have made history. These land sites include The Kingsley Plantation, The Underground Railroad, Seneca Village, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church and Frederick Douglass’s home, to name a few. These locations keep the memories of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in our collective awareness.

Speaking of collective awareness, especially here in Utah, where the black population is significantly low, there are hallowed grounds in the form of a historic black church. The Trinity A.M.E. Church, located at 239 E. 600 South in Salt Lake City, was home to Utah’s first black congregation, which first met in the 1880s.

After years of assembly in homes and rented buildings, and one unsuccessful attempt to build a church, the congregation was able to buy a property in 1907. The money was donated by Mary Bright, a cook who had made her fortune in Leadville, Colorado. The building was built in 1909 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the same year that Black History Month was officially recognized in America.

Black History Month is not about cultural divide, but unity. It is a tool used to create and develop new awareness. It is not a parade of blackness or “blacks first” attitude. Woodson created it on the idea that black Americans would understand the solid family values, work ethic, responsibility, essence of entrepreneurship and incredible dignity that was symbolic of black Americans and their African ancestors. Woodson’s vision was for blacks to not be in need of a month or week in order to appropriately honor their accomplishments. Black history is American history and deserving of year-round educational curriculum.

If we as a society are willing to openly embrace the past, we can move on to an even brighter future free from racially focused ideologies that allow the black youth to escape a culture of stereotypical black careers, including being an athlete or entertainer, and permit an environment of stories from elders that include heartfelt moments and serious issues. It is a vital opportunity to correct many of the falsifications, misunderstandings and misconceptions of African American culture. Black History month, most importantly, promotes opportunities for open dialogue and personal interactions between many cultures that can learn from one another. Hopefully it develops into a domino effect for the rest of the world.

— Valentino Warren is a junior at USU majoring in Journalism with a minor in Criminal Justice. He enjoys serious laughs and silly conversation.