Hopefully a renewed Black History Month can focus attention on the importance of preserving African American culture. February is Black History Month, a time the country highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of Black Americans. And this history tells a story. Copyright © 2021 WPVI-TV. The story of Black life experiences and contributions to this country is rich. The fact of the matter is -- Black history is American history. Please continue to share your knowledge along this information path. We reserve the right to edit or reject any copy. Carter G. Woodson started the tradition of celebrating black history. We as a country and a community need to do better with teaching and having conversations about the wonderful multicultural country we live in. He rode north with the same exact message. Rihanna Harris is a Grade Six student at PECI. So if being only taught this negativity, it enables the thinking to be negative and the negative treatment. Black History month is also important to me because it allows others to learn about the many black people who came before us who helped build a better world. The importance of this history and its role in making Canada what it is today. I look forward to following your journey. For yourself, your children, your children’s children and generations to come. Black History Month, which is celebrated each year during February, is a chance for Americans to learn details of our nation’s history that, unfortunately, are far too often neglected and pushed to the wayside. That children and adults who were taught about slavery get a negative mindset this creates this type of thinking, “This is how they were treated and we were taught this, so what’s the sense of changing the way we think and our perspectives on how we treat each other?’’. I read about Paul Revere and his midnight ride. The answer is that history helps us to understand who we are. Again, this is not a slight on us. Black History is also important because there are many forces today, right now in America, which wants to reset the clock and go backwards in time … We are all beautiful people wrapped up with our uniqueness and individuality. People of colour are generally looked at differently. It’s rather an observation of how our history has shaped today’s reality. The history that we are taught should not be a one-sided, watered down and edited version. I think that it is important to teach children multicultural history. I have always found it to be very important to teach young children just how influential black people have been throughout history and exactly what … Our ability to treat our neighbor as equal makes a statement about who we are, where we are headed & what we will become. One of the many suggestions you see in those articles is that Black history should be taught all year, which is why you are reading this in September. The Times is not responsible for advertisers’ claims. And there is no higher cause than honoring our struggle and ancestors by remembering. All rights reserved. Children see that the study of African-American history is relevant in February, in March, in April, in May, and on as well. Editor’s note: The remainder of this article first appeared on 9/17/19, and some comments date from then. I think a big part of this has to do with the fact that we are only taught the negative aspects of Black history. You are a beacon, keep the momentum. But what my teachers failed to mention was that on the night of Paul Revere’s ride, another man—a black man—Wentworth Cheswell also rode on behalf of our nation’s security. Fortunately, a task force is taking back control of how Black students are educated in the Sunshine State. Winter is starting to end and the weather is starting to get nicer is one of those reasons, but the most important thing about February is the fact that it is nationally known as Black History Month. Black history teaches us about the positive contributions and accomplishments that people of color have made to this country, to this country’s growth and development. Together we celebrate their accomplishments, people such as Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Brother Livingston of CUPE, to name just a few. Why is Black History Month important? Woodson believed that it was essential for young African Americans to understand and be proud of their heritage. It should be, and needs to be, more inclusive. I remember that February in 1976 when President Gerald Ford expanded the original Black History Week to Black History Month. When African-American history is studied all year round, children understand that African-American history is important. Through community outreach, he encouraged his fraternity Omega Psi Phi to promote his … A warm invitation to examine and discard old attitudes and behaviors. It now includes three modes – Grizzlies, FedExForum and Grind City Media. Get the App. Published in Wellington, Ontario. It helps us to better understand ourselves. by Guest Contributor. February is a nice month of the year for many reasons. African American, or black, history is a subject that has been largely repressed, rewritten, and condensed in the cataloging of American history. When we make policy, planning & environmental decisions it effects 7 generations. The African American impact on history is far-reaching and is deeply etched in the social fabric of America. All Rights Reserved. When people look different, it’s not a horrible thing—they’re still people. I’ll tell you why you should stop and reasons why it’s important to come together as a community to do better and to make change. Black History Month began as a “Negro History Week” in 1926. The Memphis Grizzlies mobile app has been totally reimagined and redesigned. 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Black history is important for many reasons; it teaches us that no matter what obstacles that you face, no matter what people try to force you to be, no matter what ‘chains’ are placed around your ankles, it is possible to overcome and rise above it. Racism is still alive and well in America. You make me proud to be Canadian while embracing our diversity. Why teaching black history is so important Breaking down institutional racism and altering mindsets can only be achieved through education. This makes the world a more beautiful place, a place to be proud of, a place to look around us and see the wonders in it. All too often, … Celebrated during the shortest month of the year, Black History Month is a way for the United States to honor the achievements of Black people … Scholar and historian Carter G. Woodson chose the second week in February, as it contained the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, to bring awareness to African Americans’ role in shaping U.S. history. Black history is important not just for myself, but to each and everyone one of us. Distributed each week throughout Prince Edward County. Canada is known for being a beautiful, diverse, and multicultural country. Let’s remember the good thoughts & ideas that our G.P.s & parents passed along & listen to the next 3 or 4 generations coming behind us. Woodson believed that the celebration and documentation of history was integral to the survival and sustainability of any race. The Times is independently owned and operated. Knowing Black History Means Knowing Yourself. There is no more powerful force than a people steeped in their history. Black History Month does not just promote diversity; it celebrates diversity. As the saying goes, black history is American history — and it’s a varied and rich history… American Family Vice President Candy Embray shares why it’s important to celebrate Black History Month and what this month means to her. The Importance of Black History. It is not possible to live in America without seeing incidents … And who you are needs to have a sense of self. Black history is important because it is not just for the comfort of people of colour, it has the ability to enable levels of understanding and compassion. Record your thoughts and email them to us at thecolorspodcast@gmail.com and follow … We cannot talk about American history without talking about African American history. Black history supports our country’s quest to understand itself as a collective. July 21, 2020. in Opinion. President Gerald Ford decreed Black History Month a national observance in 1976. In my all-black classrooms, I learned about white culture and white history. We’d like to know what your story is and why Black History Month is important to you. It reminds us that black history, is a part of all history, our history as a whole. “Those who … Use history to prove to white Americans that Black people played important roles in the creation of America and deserved to be treated as equals. I’ve been advocating for Black history to be mandatory in our local schools. Black History Month is important because it brings us together. In the month of February you will find countless articles about Black History Month. These stories have a lot to teach you about yourself. And the fact that Black … Someone is deciding for us and denying us the opportunity. She will be interviewing a number of people about the significance of Black History Month on Mondays through the month of February on the Grapevine on County radio 99.3, at noon and repeated after the 6 p.m. news. February is Black History Month, a time the country highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of Black Americans. The Black history celebrations expanded to a week-long event. To break … In fact, you could be a direct descendant of some of the greatest military, economic, and political figures of the past! For me, Black History Month should still matter; it is still the useful tool in the struggle for racial fairness that Woodson envisioned over 90 years ago. We need to come together as proud Canadians who live in this beautiful country, a country where anything is possible and make a change for the future that is positive and bright. Why Students Need Black History All Year. Increase the visibility of all facets of Black life in America, particularly in a time when news outlets tended to only highlight the negatives, skipping over rich cultures, academics, family, and more. Celebrating Provides an Opportunity to Highlight the Best of Black History & Culture. A superb editorial Rih, we need to listen more intently to the generations coming behind us. It celebrates diversity. History helps us learn to understand other people. Black History is also important because there are many forces today, right now in America, which wants to reset the clock and go backwards in time … History isn’t just an essential introduction to your … Studying Black history is more than learning about the accomplishments of other people. Kenneth Frazier, JD, first black man to lead a major pharmaceutical company. I’m a proud Canadian and I want to have the opportunity to learn about the history of this country. I believe that since we are only taught about negative historical events about Black people it affects how we, as a community and country treat each other. According to Scott, after Woodson wrote The Journal of Negro History in 1916, which chronicled the overlooked achievements of African Americans, he sought to amplify Black people's success and spread his findings to a wider audience. Florida’s Commissioner of Education’s African American History Task Force has one simple mission: educate students about the many contributions Black … Black history is important for many reasons; it teaches us that no matter what obstacles that you face, no matter what people try to force you to be, no matter what ‘chains’ are placed around your ankles, it is possible to overcome and rise above it. And that’s why it’s so important to embrace Black History Month, so we can build a better future. 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