In America, November is Native American Heritage Month. Likewise, February is Black History Month... African-Americans enjoy a whole 29 days of fame and seemingly obligatory adoration. Admittedly, when it comes to "history months" I am on the fence. In my opinion, they are well intended but fall short of glory. In reality, the very premise behind "history months" is to highlight the significant actions of a particular minority as opposed to the majority in an effort to signify and facilitate cultural equality. This cultural conundrum is explained by one of my favorite entertainment bloggers, Lincoln Blades of This Is Your Conscience. In a recent post, If You are Celebrating Black History Month You Really DON'T Care About Black History At All he holds no punches stating "...I would rather see our contribution to history be fully IGNORED than recognized as ONLY being worthy of one month of trivial recognition." A notion typified by your memory a la "Everybody Hates Chris" English teacher beginning a black history lesson with, "Kids, did you know a BLACK man invented peanut-butter!" Now, I do not agree the celebration of Black History Month in and of itself to be disingenuous (unless of course that's the ONLY time one gives a hoot about black history); but do agree with Blades overall take on the matter:
DISCUSSION: If ANYONE quote/unquote "deserves" their due diligence in the form of equal representation within the United States it is the actual Native American/American Indian. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
Hypothetically, let's say educational bias has been eradicated and diversity is equally represented and discussed in American History. Therefore, since everything is square... would it then be fair for Caucasians to have a dedicated "history month" in honor of their respective contributions to society? Or should all "history months" be essentially done away with since the premise for their existence is inherently resolved?
Personally, I am proud of the fact our nation dedicated time to reflect, educate, and honor the plight and contributions of minorities. Yet, on the contrary disappointed that these very achievements are generally concentrated within their respective history months. Typically, an individual is cherished and recognized by their family members and friends year round but honored (per say) on their birthday, right? Well , in this same sense "history months" are like birthdays sort-of-speak. Likewise, [in Lincoln's words] it would be disingenuous if peeps neglected to show you any love or recognition until your birthday rolled around! Oddly enough, that's often a general complaint among people [lol]... but I digress.
The public school system is the single most important catalyst for leveling the playing field among peoples of any society. An unbiased education helps diverse citizens better understand one another, facilitates racial tolerance and awareness. The United States isn't dubbed the "Melting Pot" because we have the secret to Bush's Baked Beans. As the nickname suggests, African American, Native American, Asian, Hispanic, Indian and Arab (yeah, I said it) Americans' plight and achievements are all an integral part to the fabric of our nation. These historical accounts are equally as important as those whose ancestors fled Europe (and should be honored as such). Yet, as it were such information was once a blip on the radar against a whitewash of European history & British colonialism ad nauseum.
Unfortunately, this bias led to a polarized viewpoint of American history [as a whole] and in some cases, blatant unethical writing practices in our nation's history books. Recently, textbooks littered with inaccuracies were discovered in use within the classroom. "Our Virginia: Past and Present", is a fourth grade social studies book published by Five Ponds Press. In October 2011 the book was found to contain as many as 12 historical errors, including the description of non-existent battalions of Black confederate soldiers. Shockingly, after these findings the book was allowed back into the classroom. Instructors were encouraged "to used the [book's] errors to demonstrate to students that they should be skeptical of what they read (Grace Chen, History Gone Awry: Mistakes in Virginia's Public School Textbooks)."
"For many education researchers, cultural bias in teaching is evidenced within various academic texts and modules across multiple academic domains (Baker, 2005, Loewen, 2007). Particularly in the United States, several researchers agree that most contributions to academic subject matter (i.e., history and social and natural sciences) are made by members of the majority race or culture (American Psychological Association, 2003; Gay, 2000; Rogoff, 2003) and much of the text throughout this subject matter is used to reinforce the superiority of this group (Loewen, 2007). Loewen (2007), for example, offers that most elementary and secondary U.S. history textbooks offer a romanticized view of the Europeans' experience in the United States whereas most of the experiences of Native Americans and/or Africans in these same lands are either misrepresented or underrepresented (Education.com)."
Bottom line. Everyone has the right to a balanced and unequivocal education. Bias involves bureaucracy and sheer negligence but boils down to prejudice and the reinforcement of "white privilege" within our society; an issue "history months" (though well-intentioned) alone do not resolve. In light of Black History month, I urge African Americans/Blacks to be pro-active and resist complacence by minding the integrity of our history; ensuring it is neither misinterpreted or conveniently omitted. As a general rule, this goes for both minorities and whites. To the best of our ability, the history of mankind should be unadulterated as this knowledge is critical to human consciousness and evolution. Only then will "history months" live up to the expectation... because at the end of the day there's no honor without integrity. Throughout recent years the U.S. Department of Education has made initiatives to monitor the integrity of public schools, colleges, and universities -- including anti-bias curriculum (A.B.C), researching and correcting inaccuracies in curriculum, culturally responsive classroom instruction, and fair representation of minorities in textbooks.
