Sunday, January 30, 2005
Black History Year!
I have frankly been underwhelmed by the consideration given to Black History Month. According to historian John Henrik Clarke, “History is a clock that people use to tell their time of day.” If so, in this land of the blind, we rely on a sundial, and it is cloudy most of the time. Beginning with Kwanzaa (an African -American holiday celebrated from December 26 to January 1), moving into the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday in January, and becoming fully consecrated with Black History Month in February, there should be numerous celebrations bring a great measure of meaning to African-American life, history, and culture. For many African Americans, celebration of these key observances customarily marks the obligatory part of a sacred and secular festive year.
Instead of closing out the annual calendar, Kwanzaa initiates a festive cycle of Afrocentric events as a prelude to the upcoming year. First conceptualized in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa has since gained widespread recognition. Kwanzaa symbolizes the traditional harvest celebrations in Africa and is not considered an alternative to Christmas. Rather, Kwanzaa shuns the commercialism of Christmas; and, according to its founder, seeks identification of "ourselves and our achievements and rededication to greater achievements and fuller more meaningful lives in the future." Since Kwanzaa's inception, African-American communities have erected full annual calendars of Kwanzaa activities. Commonly, they occur at local libraries and schools in an effort to improve community relations. However, I have not witnessed families adopting Kwanzaa as part of their holiday traditions. It would not surprise me to learn that some may object to it along with leaders of the Christian right, who this year made an issue of the secularization of Christmas – blaming Kwanzaa and the Jewish Chanukah.
Because Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday has only been a federal holiday since 1984, its observance has not yet become an established tradition everywhere. Even so, Dr. King's birthday is a ritualized and ubiquitous part of many annual African-American events. Elsewhere I have attended parades, gospel performances at a major mall, and citywide observations galore on the Monday holiday. Now my expectation is that churches, private clubs, public institutions, and civic groups will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a host of public events on that Monday.
But for the most part, the holiday is taken as a freebie: "Let's get out of town and forget about it.” I blame local leadership for enabling the populace to spurn the significance of the man, his life, and his work. But at least I have found pockets of African Americans who get it. Like me, they feel that Dr. King's birthday should be observed like New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July, as an occasion when people expressly set aside time to assemble and celebrate together.
Given the proximity of Dr. King's birthday observance to the month of February, I am used to institutions and organizations offering events and exhibits that lead the community right into Black History Month. Typically there is an unparalleled onslaught of public programs. Black History Month began in 1926 as a week-long celebration, initiated by Carter G. Woodson to combine observances of Frederick Douglass's and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays. It was not until the 1970s that the celebration was expanded into a full month. The irony is not lost on some that Black History Month takes place in February, the shortest month of the year, adding to its trivialization. Nevertheless, it is a time when all Americans should make a conscious effort to learn more about African-American history.
African-American organizations (both sacred and secular, public and private), schools, corporations, and governments traditionally sponsor cultural performances in celebration of Black History Month. For me the month too often gets off to a sluggish start, with a multitude of activities occurring during the latter days. No doubt, corporations and public institutions will get into the act and host month-long exhibitions. Nevertheless, the hidden message still tends to marginalize African Americans. If history were a clock, most would link it to the past with elite historical figures. There is little sense that time marches on and that history is being made every day. I assume that future historians will not rave about how African Americans, along with other oppressed ethnic groups, continue to stand outside American history, perpetuating myths and stereotypes.
Many question Black History Month’s very existence. They ask, “Why do African Americans deserve a month?” I counter with the question, “Why the malice envy?” Black History Month is not a set-aside program, Affirmative Action, or part of a quota system. Celebrations of other national months abound. After Black History Month comes Women’s History Month. In my subjective opinion, celebrations of that month tend to be well coordinated on campuses and in the public sector. April is National Poetry Month, considered a good time to celebrate the world of words. I have yet to hear anyone object to such observances in schools. May is National Older Adult Month. If we all live to be senior citizens, eldercare issues will make us all cognizant of it. In addition, May is National Bike Month, Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, Healthy Vision Month, Physical Fitness Month, and Consumer Product Safety Month. Perhaps we need to promote National Tolerance Month to allot time and emphasis to teaching and learning to support diversity.
Wait until those intolerant of the observance of Black History Month learn of the thrust to celebrate Black History Year. When I worked in the African-American studies program at the University of Pennsylvania nearly two decades ago, Black History Year was the norm. New York State designated 1993 as Black History Year to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. The concept of appreciating black history all year long has caught on in several Kansas schools. One exceptional thing about this decision is that, at one of the schools, African-American students make up only two percent of the enrollment. These and other ways of integrating black history year-round can occur in conjunction with celebrating the contributions of women, human rights, etc. After all, by commencing with Kwanzaa, adding more Monday Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations, and embellishing Black History Month calendars, we are already a quarter of the way there.
Instead of closing out the annual calendar, Kwanzaa initiates a festive cycle of Afrocentric events as a prelude to the upcoming year. First conceptualized in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa has since gained widespread recognition. Kwanzaa symbolizes the traditional harvest celebrations in Africa and is not considered an alternative to Christmas. Rather, Kwanzaa shuns the commercialism of Christmas; and, according to its founder, seeks identification of "ourselves and our achievements and rededication to greater achievements and fuller more meaningful lives in the future." Since Kwanzaa's inception, African-American communities have erected full annual calendars of Kwanzaa activities. Commonly, they occur at local libraries and schools in an effort to improve community relations. However, I have not witnessed families adopting Kwanzaa as part of their holiday traditions. It would not surprise me to learn that some may object to it along with leaders of the Christian right, who this year made an issue of the secularization of Christmas – blaming Kwanzaa and the Jewish Chanukah.
Because Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday has only been a federal holiday since 1984, its observance has not yet become an established tradition everywhere. Even so, Dr. King's birthday is a ritualized and ubiquitous part of many annual African-American events. Elsewhere I have attended parades, gospel performances at a major mall, and citywide observations galore on the Monday holiday. Now my expectation is that churches, private clubs, public institutions, and civic groups will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a host of public events on that Monday.
But for the most part, the holiday is taken as a freebie: "Let's get out of town and forget about it.” I blame local leadership for enabling the populace to spurn the significance of the man, his life, and his work. But at least I have found pockets of African Americans who get it. Like me, they feel that Dr. King's birthday should be observed like New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July, as an occasion when people expressly set aside time to assemble and celebrate together.
Given the proximity of Dr. King's birthday observance to the month of February, I am used to institutions and organizations offering events and exhibits that lead the community right into Black History Month. Typically there is an unparalleled onslaught of public programs. Black History Month began in 1926 as a week-long celebration, initiated by Carter G. Woodson to combine observances of Frederick Douglass's and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays. It was not until the 1970s that the celebration was expanded into a full month. The irony is not lost on some that Black History Month takes place in February, the shortest month of the year, adding to its trivialization. Nevertheless, it is a time when all Americans should make a conscious effort to learn more about African-American history.
African-American organizations (both sacred and secular, public and private), schools, corporations, and governments traditionally sponsor cultural performances in celebration of Black History Month. For me the month too often gets off to a sluggish start, with a multitude of activities occurring during the latter days. No doubt, corporations and public institutions will get into the act and host month-long exhibitions. Nevertheless, the hidden message still tends to marginalize African Americans. If history were a clock, most would link it to the past with elite historical figures. There is little sense that time marches on and that history is being made every day. I assume that future historians will not rave about how African Americans, along with other oppressed ethnic groups, continue to stand outside American history, perpetuating myths and stereotypes.
Many question Black History Month’s very existence. They ask, “Why do African Americans deserve a month?” I counter with the question, “Why the malice envy?” Black History Month is not a set-aside program, Affirmative Action, or part of a quota system. Celebrations of other national months abound. After Black History Month comes Women’s History Month. In my subjective opinion, celebrations of that month tend to be well coordinated on campuses and in the public sector. April is National Poetry Month, considered a good time to celebrate the world of words. I have yet to hear anyone object to such observances in schools. May is National Older Adult Month. If we all live to be senior citizens, eldercare issues will make us all cognizant of it. In addition, May is National Bike Month, Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, Healthy Vision Month, Physical Fitness Month, and Consumer Product Safety Month. Perhaps we need to promote National Tolerance Month to allot time and emphasis to teaching and learning to support diversity.
Wait until those intolerant of the observance of Black History Month learn of the thrust to celebrate Black History Year. When I worked in the African-American studies program at the University of Pennsylvania nearly two decades ago, Black History Year was the norm. New York State designated 1993 as Black History Year to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. The concept of appreciating black history all year long has caught on in several Kansas schools. One exceptional thing about this decision is that, at one of the schools, African-American students make up only two percent of the enrollment. These and other ways of integrating black history year-round can occur in conjunction with celebrating the contributions of women, human rights, etc. After all, by commencing with Kwanzaa, adding more Monday Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations, and embellishing Black History Month calendars, we are already a quarter of the way there.
