So I’ve been trying to think of what I wanted my first article for Black History Month to be and I can’t seem to find one specific topic that I wanna write about. In fact, as I sit here and type this, I realize that it doesn’t feel like Black History Month, at least not to me. This month, though barely two weeks in, there has been little talk or celebration in the media in terms of Black scholars, leaders, musicians, performers, politicians, and so on. Instead, we’ve been forced to discuss the terrible policies of a petty president who’s already overstayed his welcome at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (#BringBacktheObamas). Not only that, but we’ve been forced to endure the horrible cabinet confirmations of people like Betsy DeVos, Rex Tillerson, and possibly Jeff Sessons, and Tom Price. And we can’t forget the shenanigans of Vice President, Mike Pence, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and Kellyanne Conway.

However, I must backtrack and say that there was some mention of Black History Month from the White House, though it was an embarrassment, to say the least. At the start of Black History Month, President Trump made a speech in which he referred to Frederick Douglass as though he was some up-and-coming Black scholar; Sean Spicer cosigned on this. Nevermind the enormous list of accomplishments by Mr. Douglass or the fact that he’s been dead for 122 years. Oh, and we can’t forget that Mike Pence decided to start off Black History Month by celebrating…wait for it, Abraham Lincoln, who’s not Black by the way. He dared to go a step further by apparently forgetting that Black History Month is celebrated the ENTIRE month of February. After celebrating President Lincoln, he finished off his tweet with the hashtag #NationalFreedomDay. Yeah, we’re just gonna pretend that the VP missed class the day everyone else learned that the Emancipation Proclamation was drafted September 22, 1862 but didn’t come into effect until New Years Day 1863 and wasn’t ratified to include all 50 States until December 1865.

*insert me rolling my eyes here*

Aside from the above mentioned foolery, the only talk I’ve seen or heard through the media that’s even remotely close to being Black History is that Beyonce is pregnant with twins (and even that has been subjected to the fragility of Whiteness and critiques from those who aren’t Black or of color and do not fully understand nor comprehend the cultural significance for pregnancy amongst POCs) there are actually People of Color nominated for Oscars this year (barely), and Carolyn Bryant, the woman who accused Emmitt Till of harassing her back in 1955, confessed back in 2007 that she made it all up.

Aside from those headlines, it doesn’t feel like Black History Month.

When Black History Month was created (Thank you Carter G Woodson), it was initially a week, later a month, set aside to celebrate the achievements of African Americans. However in recent years we’ve seen it challenged by fragile White folks who love to ask,

Why do we need a Black History Month? It’s like total reverse racism; besides, we don’t have a White History Month...

Newsflash: EVERY MONTH IS WHITE HISTORY MONTH!

So, for those who are ill informed, don’t know, or just don’t seem to give a damn, here are just a few reasons why Black History Month was, is, and forever will be important to American culture, history and society.

Black History Celebrates the Diversity of America.

Contrary to popular belief, taking the time to celebrate a person’s differences isn’t dividing the country nor is it ‘reverse racism’ (which by the way isn’t real). Celebrating other cultures and heritages is a way to pay homage to the melting pot that is the United States of America. America was originally created as a way for the pilgrims to escape tyranny and oppression. We also pride ourselves on the being the ‘land of the free’; freedom has no specific race, class, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. So tell me how diversity is a bad thing again???

Black History Sheds Light on America’s Ugly Past While Celebrating the Voices of the Overlooked and Forgotten.

American History, for the most part, tends to gloss over the unpleasant parts of history in which the White settlers aren’t portrayed as the good and wonderful people. Because in case you didn’t know, the United States of America was originally owned and occupied by bunch of Brown and Red folks presently known as Mexicans and Native Americans before war and colonization began. Another little known history fact: much of California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and some parts of Colorado and Wyoming were all Mexican territory once upon a time. Black History celebrates the contributions by Blacks that often go unnoticed. It also tells the story of how this country became the great nation that it is today through the eyes of those whose blood, sweat, and tears made it possible.

Black History Provides African American Children with a Positive Representation of Themselves within Society.

Growing up in a society where you are not the majority, being able to see oneself reflected within said society is an integral part of self-identity and self-esteem. Also, representation helps to create a sense of pride and unity within social groups as well as within the collective as a whole. Representation helps to foster a sense of diversity and breaks down cultural barriers. Say it with me folks, #representationmatters

Not Everything in America was Created by White People (Shocker!)

Contrary to what modern day text books tell us, America would not be what it is today without the assistance of Black and Brown people such as the long forgotten Native Americans, the Hispanics and yes, Black people. When Christopher Columbus and the first settlers came to the Americas in the early 1400 and 1600's, they were assisted by Native Americans and the Mexicans in terms of trade and basic survival skills. Let’s not forget that Blacks in the United States and in the Caribbean were the driving force behind the booming sugar and cotton industries in the 1800’s (King Cotton anyone?). Though it is largely untold and overlooked, we cannot forget the major contributions by Black Inventors to modern day society inventions such as the cell phone, the blood plasma bag, the air conditioner, the straightening comb, the mailbox, potato chips, peanut butter, most of your hair styles like ‘boxer braids’ aka cornrows, most dance crazes, etc. If Black people didn’t invent it, we damn sure had a hand in its inception and creation…

Black History Teaches African Americans about their Long Forgotten Past While Recognizing Innovators of the Present and Future.

Perhaps the most important reason Black History is so damn important is that it teaches present and future generations about their history while possibly and hopefully inspiring them to become a part of that same history someday. If Barack Obama hadn’t heard about the accomplishments of Martin Luther King Jr as a child, he may have never been inspired to run for President. Perhaps there is some young Black child out there who needs to hear the inspiring story of Barack Obama that will hopefully inspire him or her to become a doctor, a Lawyer, a Judge, or maybe even president one day.

Yes, we are all Americans, but underneath that statement, we all have a cultural, ethnic, or racial identity. America is where we live, but our ancestry is what shapes us and how we see and view the world. Being different isn’t a bad thing, because there’s a lot we can learn from each other as individuals. By learning about Black History, we set the tone and foster an environment for conversations about race, diversity, and intersectionality. If we continue to celebrate Black History, maybe Black Lives will actually begin to matter to the rest of the world…