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- Mar 3, 2020
- 2 min read
The month of February is recognized nationally as the month to honor the history of African Americans. In 1976, President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month to “seize the opportunity” of honoring the overlooked accomplishments of black people in America.
“[Black History Month] is celebrated pretty heavily especially since I surround myself with people who are really into the black culture,” junior Mary Ware said.
However a variety of other students at Northern have said that Black History Month is not celebrated as much in their communities.
“I believe it should be known more because [it is] a very important part of history,” freshman Izaiah Pervis said.
People have also expressed their opinions about events surrounding Black History Month and their presence within the community they live in.
“There’s nothing much going on for [Black History Month], it’s just a title,” Pervis said. A faculty member had a different perspective of events surrounding this historic month.
“At NCCU’s student union, they are always doing an African American highlight on things that have happened in Durham and the South,” civics teacher Timothy Carson said.
Even though some have seen events to honor BHM (Black History Month), others still believe that it doesn’t get enough appreciation.
“I don’t think [it is] appreciated, [it is] held in the shortest month of the year,” sophomore Quentin Glass said. “People tend to overlook and undervalue [BHM],” Glass said.
Multiple people have mentioned the length of BHM and how the shortness of it reveals the under appreciation.
“[It is] very short, [we are] talking about 400-500 years of sadness, happiness, growth, and setbacks that you can’t squish into 28 days,” Carson said. “[It is] getting tiring when we keep hearing about the same people year in and year out when there are so many people that we are missing from African American history.”
The history of African Americans has severely impacted this country and the foundation that it currently stands on.
“The history of black people is this country, there would be no country without black folk,” history teacher Ajanae Willis said. “Medicine, education, culture, everything [could not] have gotten done without [black people].”
The opinions of these students and faculty emphasize the unanswered questions surrounding Black History Month. It’s questionable that BHM is only recognized by the United States and not truly appreciated. The people of this country must fulfill the true purpose of this historic month since it’s such a significant piece to our nation’s history. Black history has affected America’s economy, culture, sports, and other important aspects that contribute to the success of this country.
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