Black History Month more than just a holiday for ETSU student
Valisa Griffin
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: The Scene
Black history is one rich in struggle and success. It is filled to the brim with tales of tears and triumph. February marks the celebration of Black History Month, and as its end is fast approaching, we reflect on its meaning.
Black History Month came from humble beginnings. In fact, at its inception, the holiday was only celebrated for one week. Dr. Carter Goodwin Woodson, a Harvard graduate, was saddened to discover the lack of black history in American history books (www.history.com). So he wrote new books, and he included the contribution of black Americans to the country's rich culture. Woodson piloted the progression of what he called "Negro History Week," which was recognized as Black History Month in 1976.
As a child, I remember staying home to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. While most other school-aged children viewed it as a free day out of classes, school was still in session in my home.
I remember sitting beside my parents while they taught me about the struggles of African-Americans.
They told me about events in history that they were fortunate enough to see, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech at the March on Washington in 1963.
More importantly, they discussed the things that they wish they hadn't seen, like the South's segregated bathroom facilities, schools, water fountains and diners.
Black History Month is more than a holiday. It represents the victory of a group of people who fought to gain access to our nation's rights and who proved themselves more than worthy of those rights.
It symbolizes the efforts of a people to overcome injustice and obstacles to ascend to the heights of equality.
The faces of Black History Month are many, like the Baptist minister from Georgia who had a dream or like Oliver L. Brown of Brown v. Board of Education, who strived to prove that separate was anything but equal.
From sit-ins and bus boycotts to freedom rides to marches, African-Americans have a history to be proud of - a history that chronicles the story of slaves who helped to construct the country's foundation on their backs to an African-American president who now carries that same nation on his shoulders.
Black History Month came from humble beginnings. In fact, at its inception, the holiday was only celebrated for one week. Dr. Carter Goodwin Woodson, a Harvard graduate, was saddened to discover the lack of black history in American history books (www.history.com). So he wrote new books, and he included the contribution of black Americans to the country's rich culture. Woodson piloted the progression of what he called "Negro History Week," which was recognized as Black History Month in 1976.
As a child, I remember staying home to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. While most other school-aged children viewed it as a free day out of classes, school was still in session in my home.
I remember sitting beside my parents while they taught me about the struggles of African-Americans.
They told me about events in history that they were fortunate enough to see, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech at the March on Washington in 1963.
More importantly, they discussed the things that they wish they hadn't seen, like the South's segregated bathroom facilities, schools, water fountains and diners.
Black History Month is more than a holiday. It represents the victory of a group of people who fought to gain access to our nation's rights and who proved themselves more than worthy of those rights.
It symbolizes the efforts of a people to overcome injustice and obstacles to ascend to the heights of equality.
The faces of Black History Month are many, like the Baptist minister from Georgia who had a dream or like Oliver L. Brown of Brown v. Board of Education, who strived to prove that separate was anything but equal.
From sit-ins and bus boycotts to freedom rides to marches, African-Americans have a history to be proud of - a history that chronicles the story of slaves who helped to construct the country's foundation on their backs to an African-American president who now carries that same nation on his shoulders.
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