Black History: relevant necessity

 
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
-   George Santayana, The Life of Reason
 
Black History Month is criticized and questioned every year and often the only time the world we live in hears about the historical roles, contributions, and perspectives of African-Americans or blacks.
Black history should be recognized and acknowledged every day because, history is made every day.
While Black History Month shouldn’t be the only time African-Americans and other races and cultures openly discuss ‘taboo’ race relations, Black History Month is a relevant celebration and acknowledgment of a race of people who in American history were not considered human.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson who is often referred to as the “Father of Black History” founded the Study of African American Life and History along with Negro History week to educate our world about the achievements and contributions of African-Americans to the world.
According to the Study of African American Life and History, established on September 9, 1915 by Woodson their mission is to is to promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.
The study housed on Howard’s campus in Washington, D.C., publishes the Journal of Negro History, the Negro History Bulletin, The Woodson Review: ASALH’s Annual Theme Magazine and Fire: The Multimedia Journal of Black Studies.
Through their publications, yearly themes and research they promote the knowledge and understanding African-American history and culture.
In the words of Toni Morrison, “I’m interested in the way in which the past affects the present and I think that if we understand a good deal more about history, we automatically understand a great more about contemporary life.”
The past plays a critical role in the future.
You are socialized as a child and as an adult. As a child, you are socialized through rules, nurturing, language, lessons, morals, environment and education or lack thereof.
Between childhood and adulthood you are socialized through participation, outside relationships, social roles, expectations and community.
As an adult you are socialized by more education, on the job training, hierarchy and worldly influences.
History plays a role in building your identity, purpose, motivation, commitment, personality, family, community and even the world in the bigger picture.
As an African-American or black you want to know and understand where you fit in the world, your boundaries/barriers, your opportunities and abilities.
Historically if you know that an African-American was an inventor, actor, producer, director, president, author, speaker, educator, fashion designer, model, writer, doctor, lawyer or technician through adversity.
It makes it that much easier to you as a child to make a goal knowing it’s achievable and possible.
Understanding the struggles and oppression of the past allows you to see the struggles and oppressions of today with an advantage. Understanding how with limited technology a community, race, or culture has overcome a situation gives you an upper hand in handling the same issue in modern day.
There is a place and time to celebrate or commemorate every race, culture, accomplishment, innovation, or philanthropic effort; Black History Month should be no different.
We should remember and make history every day, but there should be a month where we are immersed in our history and culture inside and outside of our own communities.
Black History Month is a month dedicated to the character of African-Americans a race still overlooked and underrepresented, but constantly progressing despite the stagnant situations placed before us.