Black History Month

[ProfessorLayton]

I think that whole thing is just silly. I don't care if you're white, black, Mexican, Asian, or Middle Eastern. I just don't care! If you're a cool person, I'll hang out with you, and if you're a dick, then I won't! That's just how it is. I don't look at people by their race at all. It doesn't matter to me.

 

[Bulletinmybrain]

So what? We don't celebrate White Cultural heroes while studying history in any school? We do. It is just an attempt to help people be more educated, that is all. It is not racist.

I propose "White History Month."

QUICK! Before I get assassinated for being racist!

Again, when does America not celebrate White Cultural heroes?

And when does America not celebrate black cultural heroes? The argument goes both ways, so don't try to push it.

Oh, I will push it. I reality, we don't really. Not as much as White ones to be sure. How many times do school kids hear about George Washington? How many times to do school kids here about African American cultural heroes besides George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks? There are dozens of others and Black History month tries to educate people about them.

George Washington lead our nation to victory, And went onto be president. Personally he has done more then some lady who sat on a bus seat. George Washington Carver was good but he didn't really change the course of history like GW did.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Khell's Black History Minute - Condensing an entire month into 60 secons.

Black people were living in Africa, white people came and started abducting them. Whitey brought them to the Americas, and forced them to work. Some other whiteys realized this was wrong, and fought for their freedom. Freedom won, respect wasn't. Years passed, blacks integrated into society, fought for respect, eventually won it. Apologies were issued for the centuries-old kidnapping, some blacks todays still gripe about it, the same as some whites still gripe about freeing the slaves. Nothings perfect, can't please everyone, but it's better than it was. And despite all the shit their ancestors went through, the blacks in America have it way better than those in Africa because that place has gone straight to hell.

The End.


There... Teach that, and save us the month-long boring detail version.

Hell... yes.

 

[KSarty]

So what? We don't celebrate White Cultural heroes while studying history in any school? We do. It is just an attempt to help people be more educated, that is all. It is not racist.

I propose "White History Month."

QUICK! Before I get assassinated for being racist!

Again, when does America not celebrate White Cultural heroes?

And when does America not celebrate black cultural heroes? The argument goes both ways, so don't try to push it.

Oh, I will push it. I reality, we don't really. Not as much as White ones to be sure. How many times do school kids hear about George Washington? How many times to do school kids here about African American cultural heroes besides George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks? There are dozens of others and Black History month tries to educate people about them.

I learned about Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks long before I even knew there was a Black History Month. Anything that is important enough for students to learn should just be made a part of the curriculum, Black History Month is unnecessary. And no shit everyone learns about George Washington more than George Washington Carver, our first president is a lot more important to our history than the guy that created friggin peanut butter.

You missed the point entirely.

Naming names like Martin Luther King Jr. (he is a junior by the way) and Rosa Parks just proves his point. What other famous African-Americans you know that don't enjoy the spot-light?

The point he was trying to make was that history classes (atleast in America) do not teach about many black men who deserve the recognition. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and George Washington Carvar and others like them are a given. They are a few people who deserve the recognition, but there are many, many more.

In reality, the do not teach about African-Americans as much as they should. A lot of supporters of the month will tell you that they will feel better if more of these people were taught in normal sessions and not forgotten.

The point of Black History Month is to teach people about the accomplishments of African-Americans because schools do not do it often. They only mention big names. Black History Month is here as long as the schools do not teach and celebrate African-Americans who made a difference, who did something big as much as they should.

I hope that clears things up about the point being made.

And you missed my whole point. My point was that if it is important enough for students to learn it, then it should just be made a part of the regular curriculum. Obviously Black History Month is a failure anyways by your logic, since you said it is there to teach about the black men and women who aren't so well known. Black History Month was started in 1962 and still nobody knows about these people.

And maybe the reason they aren't a part of the regular curriculum is BECAUSE there is a Black History Month. They figure why add it to history class if there is an entire month dedicated to it.

 

[Scruffy323]

I don't mind Black Hstory Month, not terribly anyway. I think it's more of a tool to get school children to realize that black people contribute to this world just as much as white people.

A lot of my friends here (I'm an American) say to keep things even we should have a White History Month, too. I think thats ridiculous. The 1896 case of Plessy v Ferguson got rid of seperate but equal in America. We all know how whites have changed the world, but kids need to know we are not the only race that includes famous scientists and inventors, world leaders, great influances, war heroes, etc.

The idea should be to get "Black" history and "White" history just become "history."

Just my opinion, sorry to rant. Obama '08!

 

[KSarty]

I don't mind Black Hstory Month, not terribly anyway. I think it's more of a tool to get school children to realize that black people contribute to this world just as much as white people.

A lot of my friends here (I'm an American) say to keep things even we should have a White History Month, too. I think thats ridiculous. The 1896 case of Plessy v Ferguson got rid of seperate but equal in America. We all know how whites have changed the world, but kids need to know we are not the only race that includes famous scientists and inventors, world leaders, great influances, war heroes, etc.

The idea should be to get "Black" history and "White" history just become "history."

Just my opinion, sorry to rant. Obama '08!

Exactly, but that won't happen until Black History Month is gotten rid of.

 

[Dance The Revolution]

So what? We don't celebrate White Cultural heroes while studying history in any school? We do. It is just an attempt to help people be more educated, that is all. It is not racist.

I propose "White History Month."

QUICK! Before I get assassinated for being racist!

Again, when does America not celebrate White Cultural heroes?

And when does America not celebrate black cultural heroes? The argument goes both ways, so don't try to push it.

Oh, I will push it. I reality, we don't really. Not as much as White ones to be sure. How many times do school kids hear about George Washington? How many times to do school kids here about African American cultural heroes besides George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks? There are dozens of others and Black History month tries to educate people about them.

I learned about Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks long before I even knew there was a Black History Month. Anything that is important enough for students to learn should just be made a part of the curriculum, Black History Month is unnecessary. And no shit everyone learns about George Washington more than George Washington Carver, our first president is a lot more important to our history than the guy that created friggin peanut butter.

You missed the point entirely.

Naming names like Martin Luther King Jr. (he is a junior by the way) and Rosa Parks just proves his point. What other famous African-Americans you know that don't enjoy the spot-light?

The point he was trying to make was that history classes (atleast in America) do not teach about many black men who deserve the recognition. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks and George Washington Carvar and others like them are a given. They are a few people who deserve the recognition, but there are many, many more.

In reality, the do not teach about African-Americans as much as they should. A lot of supporters of the month will tell you that they will feel better if more of these people were taught in normal sessions and not forgotten.

The point of Black History Month is to teach people about the accomplishments of African-Americans because schools do not do it often. They only mention big names. Black History Month is here as long as the schools do not teach and celebrate African-Americans who made a difference, who did something big as much as they should.

I hope that clears things up about the point being made.

And you missed my whole point. My point was that if it is important enough for students to learn it, then it should just be made a part of the regular curriculum. Obviously Black History Month is a failure anyways by your logic, since you said it is there to teach about the black men and women who aren't so well known. Black History Month was started in 1962 and still nobody knows about these people.

And maybe the reason they aren't a part of the regular curriculum is BECAUSE there is a Black History Month. They figure why add it to history class if there is an entire month dedicated to it.

Black people were doing amazing things before 1962, sir. They could've added more about African-Americans before the thought of a month even popped in there heads. See. Anyone who can reason can see that particular argument is flawed.

And....

Most people don't know about these people because people are turning this celebration into a shitfest, but don't be so arrogant to say some are not learning about these great men and women. I have personally learned more because of this month. I am ashamed to say that my knowledge on the subject is lacking, but I blame schools for not teaching.

And one more thing....

If schools actually started teaching about African-Americans more as they go along in there little textbooks, the need and reason for Black History Month will disappear. The government will be more inclined to make it disappear then. Ya' dig?

 

[KSarty]

Black people were doing amazing things before 1962, sir. They could've added more about African-Americans before the thought of a month even popped in there heads. See. Anyone who can reason can see that particular argument is flawed.

That was nowhere near my point, sir. They started Black History Month in 1962, that does not imply that they only teach about things black people have done since then. My point was that they have had a Black History Month for 46 years and if people haven't learned the lessons it is meant to teach yet, then they likely never will.

If schools actually started teaching about African-Americans more as they go along in there little textbooks, the need and reason for Black History Month will disappear. The government will be more inclined to make it disappear then. Ya' dig?

Who is to say they ever will as long as Black History Month is around. My original point still stands that Black History Month is racist and a double standard. It is not even necessary in a time that a black man can be voted in as President. Eliminate Black History Month, and if it's teachings truly are important, then they will be taught in schools.

I for one am not going to focus on the deeds of a man or woman specifically because they are black. If I think they did great things, then I will read up on them, regardless of skin color.

 

[jockslap]

So what? We don't celebrate White Cultural heroes while studying history in any school? We do. It is just an attempt to help people be more educated, that is all. It is not racist.

I propose "White History Month."

QUICK! Before I get assassinated for being racist!

Again, when does America not celebrate White Cultural heroes?

And when does America not celebrate black cultural heroes? The argument goes both ways, so don't try to push it.

There's a reason why we have a Black History Month, and that's because there was a time that our culture didn't really celebrate black cultural icons. I mean, that's kind of the point of the month. I consider it a progressive thing designed to get us to the point where great black men and women in american history are as equally represented as anybody else, and we don't need to designate a month just for people to talk about them.

umm im terrible at deciphering quotes but whoever said that white cultural heroes arent recognized...think again. I could go on with a long list of examples but ill drop just one name, Anne Braden, look it up.

 

[Zer_]

So what? We don't celebrate White Cultural heroes while studying history in any school? We do. It is just an attempt to help people be more educated, that is all. It is not racist.

I propose "White History Month."

QUICK! Before I get assassinated for being racist!

Again, when does America not celebrate White Cultural heroes?

And when does America not celebrate black cultural heroes? The argument goes both ways, so don't try to push it.

Oh, I will push it. I reality, we don't really. Not as much as White ones to be sure. How many times do school kids hear about George Washington? How many times to do school kids here about African American cultural heroes besides George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks? There are dozens of others and Black History month tries to educate people about them.

You don't get it. Having Black History month to me is just something that emphasizes any racism that is left in our culture. Saying we "need" black history month so the black people of America can feel equal just makes the wart of racism stick out that much more.

The reason we see more white people being given recognition is the same exact reason we see more black people getting recognition in Haiti; something that is almost always overlooked.

KSarty is right. All Black History Month promotes is the attitude that we should only teach about white accomplishments and leave all the black recognition for Black History Month.

 

[Dance The Revolution]

Black people were doing amazing things before 1962, sir. They could've added more about African-Americans before the thought of a month even popped in there heads. See. Anyone who can reason can see that particular argument is flawed.

That was nowhere near my point, sir. They started Black History Month in 1962, that does not imply that they only teach about things black people have done since then. My point was that they have had a Black History Month for 46 years and if people haven't learned the lessons it is meant to teach yet, then they likely never will.

God, it is hard to agrue with someone like you. All you do is misintepret my posts.

Let me explain in simpler terms:

Before 1962 when Black History Month was created or whatever, Blacks had done great things. They could have taught about these things in the schools. This is not implying that Black History Month does not teach about Blacks before 1962.


I'd like to express my apologize. I said earlier that Black History Month don't teach people much; however, I was wrong. A lot of others and I have learned much from Black History Month. It does it job for those who take some time to learn. It is like school in general. You can learn if you so wish, but you won't learn anything if you don't try. The point I am trying to make with this paragraph is that Black History Month does it job for a lot of people. So, for that 46 years Black History Month been around, millions of people have been educated about black people and their achievements. Some great, some meager.

If schools actually started teaching about African-Americans more as they go along in there little textbooks, the need and reason for Black History Month will disappear. The government will be more inclined to make it disappear then. Ya' dig?

Who is to say they ever will as long as Black History Month is around. My original point still stands that Black History Month is racist and a double standard. It is not even necessary in a time that a black man can be voted in as President. Eliminate Black History Month, and if it's teachings truly are important, then they will be taught in schools.

I for one am not going to focus on the deeds of a man or woman specifically because they are black. If I think they did great things, then I will read up on them, regardless of skin color.

Who to say they ever will even if you rid the world of Black History Month.

This argument is flawed, too. I can just throw it back at you...

My original point is that Black History Month is flawed, yes, but it is a necessary 'evil'. It is not a double standard or racist. This event was made because of the racism in schools. They didn't teach about blacks who deserve it. It is not to glorify these people because of the color of their skin, but it is glorify these people because of their accomplishments. The only reason it is a Black History Month is because a lot of these people who deserve (and some who need to be) in Schools, in textbooks are not, and they happen to be black.

Sorry, I skipped a few points you made in that last paragraph. Let me address those:

You say it is not nessecary because we can elect a black man in office?

1) Barak Obama isn't black; he's mixed.

2) That really isn't a good argument. You're still refusing to learn/teach about important indivdual who haven't been inserted into textbooks because of the color of their skin.

--

"if it's teachings truly are important, then they will be taught in schools."

You seem to forget that they aren't taught in schools. The reason Black History Month was created in the first place, as stated above, was because schools didn't teach much about Blacks in history class. There weren't going to be taught in schools. That was the main reason it was created. You call it racist because you don't understand that fact.

--

I for one am not going to focus on the deeds of a man or woman specifically because they are black. If I think they did great things, then I will read up on them, regardless of skin color.

How are you going to read up on people you don't even know existed? You might be able to look back on inventions and find their roots, but that won't account for half the number of black people who did great and important things.

Oh, and like I said earlier, Black History Month was not created to praise blacks who did good deeds because they are black; Black History Month was created to praise people who did good deeds but were shunned by the educational system because they were black. 'Know what I'm saying, brotha?

 

[Dance The Revolution]

So what? We don't celebrate White Cultural heroes while studying history in any school? We do. It is just an attempt to help people be more educated, that is all. It is not racist.

I propose "White History Month."

QUICK! Before I get assassinated for being racist!

Again, when does America not celebrate White Cultural heroes?

And when does America not celebrate black cultural heroes? The argument goes both ways, so don't try to push it.

Oh, I will push it. I reality, we don't really. Not as much as White ones to be sure. How many times do school kids hear about George Washington? How many times to do school kids here about African American cultural heroes besides George Washington Carver and Rosa Parks? There are dozens of others and Black History month tries to educate people about them.

You don't get it. Having Black History month to me is just something that emphasizes any racism that is left in our culture. Saying we "need" black history month so the black people of America can feel equal just makes the wart of racism stick out that much more.

The reason we see more white people being given recognition is the same exact reason we see more black people getting recognition in Haiti; something that is almost always overlooked.

KSarty is right. All Black History Month promotes is the attitude that we should only teach about white accomplishments and leave all the black recognition for Black History Month.

You also forgot to mention that blacks were barely recognized for their works decades before a civil rights momvement started, and as a result of that racism, a lot of work blacks did back then are forgotten in today's public.


KSarty is wrong. Black History Month promotes the attitude that blacks aren't getting the recognition they deserve. It also reveals that their was a seperation of blacks and white years ago in the time of creation. some actually do preceive it the way you do, but it is my belief that a lot more preceive it the way I mentioned.

 

[Dance The Revolution]

Sorry for my triple posting, but...

I find it funny about all this talk about double standards existing in this celebration, but no one actually mentions what that means about schools. If you claim that Black History Month is racist, you're implying that your government and the school board is racist. I don't even need to explain why.


To the United Statians(sp?)-
I got a question. Why is it that thousands of thousands of people complain about black history month, but nobody gives a shit about Hispanic Heritage Month or Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Are you guys only complaining about Black History Month because it is popular?

Another question. Would it bother you so much if Black History Month was still only Negro History Week?

 

[Zer_]

"KSarty is wrong. Black History Month promotes the attitude that blacks aren't getting the recognition they deserve. It also reveals that their was a seperation of blacks and white years ago in the time of creation. some actually do preceive it the way you do, but it is my belief that a lot more preceive it the way I mentioned."

Black History Month is doing jack squat in teaching the majority of people Black History. Teachers teach us what they see in their text books and what is on the final exam. In high school, during Black History Month my teacher walks in the classroom and basically says "It's Black History Month." She then proceeded to teach us some black history for the day and that was that. Honestly I didn't really learn much that day.

"You also forgot to mention that blacks were barely recognized for their works decades before a civil rights movement started, and as a result of that racism, a lot of work blacks did back then are forgotten in today's public."

That's actually one of the reasons Black History Month is ineffective. How can you teach someone about something you don't know about?

So your necessary evil isn't all that necessary, which just leaves it as evil. The solution is to implement a lot more of black history into the high school curriculum.

Let me propose something. The final exam for the grade 12 History course should contain a minimum number of questions regarding black history. If these questions are unanswered or wrong, the student will get a noticeable grade drop (20% or something). This, of course can only be done if the learning material is provided in the standard history course. That way any racist ass teacher who tries to filter out any history because he labels it as "Black" will get some nice backlash when the test literally causes his entire class' grades to drop a significant amount. If I'm not mistaken, there have been teachers who have had their entire career destroyed because they neglected to teach a large portion of their course.

To me this; despite being somewhat "evil" in the same way Black History Month is will at least be effective.

"I got a question. Why is it that thousands of thousands of people complain about black history month, but nobody gives a shit about Hispanic Heritage Month or Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Are you guys only complaining about Black History Month because it is popular?"

I didn't even know Hispanic Heritage Month, or Asian Pacific American Heritage Month existed. I'm pretty sure the majority of Americans learned diddly squat about those too. Which brings us back to the whole "Necessary Evil" thing. It's just "Evil" and unnecessary.

"Another question. Would it bother you so much if Black History Month was still only Negro History Week?"

Yes it would.

 

[Tyran107]

(yay first post and an end to my lurking )

But on topic, I don't really see a reason for black history month. Like my american history teacher said "I don't teach black history month, I teach black history when we get to it." IE the time of equal rights movement and such.

Also, sorry to burst your bubble but George Washington Carver didn't invent peanut butter. He did a ton of helpfull experiments with peanuts yes, and part of that helped POPULARIZE peanut butter, but peanut butter was around long before him.

 

[Zer_]

(yay first post and an end to my lurking )

But on topic, I don't really see a reason for black history month. Like my american history teacher said "I don't teach black history month, I teach black history when we get to it." IE the time of equal rights movement and such.

Also, sorry to burst your bubble but George Washington Carver didn't invent peanut butter. He did a ton of helpfull experiments with peanuts yes, and part of that helped POPULARIZE peanut butter, but peanut butter was around long before him.

Welcome to our forums good sir, and I agree with you all the way. The worst part about it is that I bet your teacher has been labeled as racist at least once because of what he said.

 

[Dance The Revolution]

I said forgotten to the public. It is not like you can't find anything about these people. The information isn't wide spread or in main media or that shit.

Teachers should already know some black history. If they can't teach their students basic lessons about American (I am just assuming we're talking about America)History dealing with some of its black citizens, then that teacher really isn't qualified. And like I just said, you can find information about black folks who have done great things or meager things if you looked. Heck, you can log on the internet and find million of black americans who did a lot of great stuff with complete ease.

Please don't try to weigh the merits of Black History Month on the shoulders of weak teachers.