The celebration of Black History has reached a new milestone in 2025. The initial observance of Black history had its origins in the year 1926 when the venerable historian Carter G. Woodson proposed the observance of Black History Week. In 1976, it was re-named Black History Month when former President Gerald Ford officially recognized its observance.
Why is the observance of Black History important? It is needed to remind Black people of how far the community has progressed in America and elsewhere. It is an unfortunate law of nature that once something is not documented, it can be forgotten. This is especially true in a governing regime that is trying to erase whatever progress Black people have made.
Not honoring Black History can result in the disappearance of the contributions to the world of a very significant group of people. Basically, if we read between the lines, we will be able to decode what is really happening – white men are attempting to re-configure American society in their own image – they want to return to a time when there was no competition from the likes of Black and brown people, women, and others not firmly imbedded in whiteness.
The excuse that is given by those who want to disenfranchise Black people is thinly disguised as opposition to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). The assumption is that DEI hires are somehow incompetent. The truth, though, is that DEI exists in order to allow QUALIFIED people to access employment that they would not be able to acquire due to discrimination. With this said, it is ironic that it would be difficult to find anyone in our federal government that is more incompetent than the new cabinet nominated by the 47th president, who is in the process of deconstructing American government.
Basically, the current strategy of our current government is that of attempting to make the accomplishments of others disappear. This is partially why the government has taken Black History Month off of the calendar of federal holidays. This is not unique to the U.S., however. It is becoming evident that Black people have been at the very foundation of world development since the beginning of civilization on Earth, but have not had their history accurately recorded. For example, the attempt to depict ancient Egyptians as European-looking people is the most obvious travesty in this regard. White people of a certain ilk, to which our president belongs, allegedly refuse to believe that Black people have contributed anything of real value to the world.
If we look beyond appearances, however, we may discover that deep down inside, bigoted whites do not really think Black people are inferior and have not made significant contributions to America and to the world in general. We may discover that they are actually afraid of Black competence. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have to go to the ancient past to understand the mastery that Black people have demonstrated in the past and the present. It is obvious today that Black people have excelled IN EVERY ENDEAVOR that has been attempted, including in those areas that have erected barriers to Black participation. This is why they try to rewrite history to occlude Black accomplishments.
Because of the foregoing, we must do the following: 1. Research Black history to accurately depict past accomplishments; 2. Record current accomplishments to ensure that future Black History is accurately captured. The new restrictions against the federal observance of Black history need not keep us from preserving our past, present, and future. Also, we must realize that the oppression that Black people experience from authoritarian white people has partial origins in their fear of Black competence and success.
Chiefly, we must understand that Black history is the Black community’s responsibility to preserve and doesn’t need the approval or consent of others to do this. Moreover, we must know that Black competence is a reality. The late great Maya Angelou penned an appropriate quote that should guide us as we face the future: “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” Aluta continua.
Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader
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