OC HIGH STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Contributing to History as a Whole

No matter what month or week it is, a tribute of some sort is on the books.

But I think designations such as Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March) are monuments to tokenism rather than a tribute to a deserving group.

During February, black history in America is trivialized rather than appreciated. The media convey remembrances of black achievement while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Top of the Mountain” and “I Have a Dream” speeches are repeatedly broadcast. Occasionally we witness people in authentic African clothing speaking about lost African civilizations or saying a few words in Swahili.

Confining black history to four weeks tends to minimize the achievements and impact of the black community on American history.

More importantly, I feel Black History Month works to segregate “black history” from “American history.”

Black history, along with that of many other nationalities and cultures, is part of American history as a whole. One cannot talk about American history--from the American Revolution to Operation Desert Storm--separately from black history.

Discussing the impact of the black community in a single month, independent of American history, society, politics and economy, represents an inaccurate interpretation of history.

After Black History Month comes March, Women’s National History Month. Realizing that women make up more than 50% of the population and receive one month to celebrate their history seems a little pompous to me.

Women’s National History Month implies the same notions as Black History Month: The segregation of a culture or gender’s history from that of total history.