By: Sabrina Parker Special to the Chronicle
The publication of the article, “Black History Month: Thanks, but no thanks” is entirely pitiful. The [writer’s] tone appears to be more mocking of Black History Month rather than informative. Comparing a month of historical information on a race of people who have made strides that impact the world we live in today to National Pizza Day and Valentine’s Day is unwarranted and disrespectful. To read in between the lines, the [writer] has a meager understanding of Black culture and how it has shaped the world we live in today. Her perspective of racism in America is unsettling because she believes that what she is saying is right.
The article lacks empathy, insight and intelligence. To imply that a Snapchat geofilter is indicative of the importance of black history shows the lack of knowledge presented in the article. Comparisons as trivial as National Wine Day and filters are ridiculous defenses for the reason why Black History Month is no longer relevant; the article lacks a valid argument.
To go even further on her statements of equality where she states, “Equality has become a sort of mantra for the modern era,” I want to be clear on what equality she is referring to. Could it be the equality of blacks who face racial profiling more than any other race or the equality of blacks shot to death by the police while unarmed or the equality of blacks who face racial discrimination on a daily basis? Where are the answers to these questions? Where is this equality hiding?
If there is such equality, then why is Black History Month the only one under attack and speculation? If this is the case, then National Women’s History Month in March, Asian Pacific American Heritage and Jewish American Heritage Month in May, Gay Lesbian Pride Month in June and Hispanic Heritage Month in September should not be celebrated either. If there is so much equality then there is no need to celebrate any race or cultures history; however black history is constantly under interrogation. Blacks are the only race of people that cannot show pride without others being intimidated or fearful and claiming reverse racism is at play. Ultimately, the thought process behind the article signifies intimidation by and fear of black pride. The desire to eradicate Black History Month has nothing to do with equality because it is plain to see that it does not exist according to Trayvon Martin, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Tanisha Anderson, Aiyana Jones, Tarika Wilson and the list goes on.
Another tactless strategy was the editor’s decision to use Morgan Freeman’s interview from “60 Minutes.” She was swift to point out the phrases that supported a weak argument but lacks insight so she missed the point. Morgan Freeman’s statement that “black history is American history” came after he questioned how black history could be relegated to a month. His purpose was to state that black history should be fully integrated into American history because blacks are just as a part of American history as any other culture or race. It is not solely about the termination of the “race” talk to end racism; it is also about the movements taken to end racism. However, I wonder how a 60 second video of an entire interview on YouTube could provide insightfulness on the subject matter. Needless to say, the [writer] did not provide any solution to integrating black history in the curriculum or media to ensure equality nor she did do her research. She merely suggested the elimination of the month in favor of dismissing black culture altogether. In short, miseducation is no education; one must gain understanding before expressing information.
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