???To all my teachers:
???I am aware that some of you feel that I have been slacking over the past month, not putting 100 percent into all of my schoolwork.
???It is acceptable to feel this way because you are probably right. I am certain that I could be doing a whole lot more.
???I have a good reason, though.
???With this being Black History Month, I have chosen to relax a little and enjoy our accomplishments, rather than indulge in all that schoolwork.
???Enjoying and recognizing the accomplishments of black people who have shaped America is the main objective of honoring this month.
???When Carter G. Woodson, the originator of Black History Month, established February as a month of remembrance, his intention was to address the lack of mention of black figures in textbooks.
??? It wasn't just because he was an African American and wanted blacks to be put on a pedestal, as some may think.
???How is it possible to talk about America emerging into a great nation without mentioning the fact that they accomplished this by implementing 200 years of slavery?
???Or how can you boast about our country being equal opportunity providers, when the truth of the matter remains that if the Civil Rights Movement was not spearheaded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we might still be a segregated society?
???As time passes by, we seem to forget these things and take them for granted. We find it hard to truly capture the emotion behind these events, sometimes to the point that we question the importance of even celebrating it.
???In an article entitled "Time to end black history month," published on the American Renaissance Web site, many people expressed their dislike of the month.
???According to Yemesi Oyeniy, Black History Month is something exclusively for black people, and "therefore fails to educate the masses of non-blacks."
???I can understand why she might feel that this is exclusively for blacks, but it's not. It's no secret that for every accomplishment that a black person has achieved, there were people of other races supporting that person. Slavery wouldn't have ended without Abraham Lincoln and other abolitionists.
???However, if this woman thinks that setting aside one month to honor blacks is taking away from the educating of non-blacks, then she is naive.
???In all my years of schooling, all I can remember is learning about non-blacks. Even during Black History Month, the teachers would only set aside one or two days to tell us about it.
???Honestly, one month is not enough time to even scratch the surface of all the things blacks have done in American history.
???So, don't treat this month like any other, and don't let others devalue the validity of it. Rather, do what the late James Brown said: "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
