During a recent interview on the long-running news program, “60 Minutes,” Mike Wallace asked actor Morgan Freeman how he felt about Black History Month. Freeman responded: “Ridiculous. You’re going to relegate my history to a month? I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.”
I’m one of Freeman’s fans, but we must agree to disagree on this issue. In my view, no one is relegating black history to one month. Life is lived everyday, yet we set aside one day each year to celebrate growing older –our birthday.
This act does not mean that we relegate the fullness of our lives to one day. In the same way, we celebrate black history in February, the shortest month of the year, but we’re smart enough to recognize that our history is everyday.
Once March 1 rolls around, our history is still celebrated. Black History Month is simply a month to remember and to cherish those who went through the struggle. It’s to celebrate their lives, to focus on their contributions to our those living today. I think of it as an educational month, in which young people of all ages and races get an opportunity to learn about the rich history of African Americans.
Freeman stated that there is no white or a Jewish month. True, but does that mean we shouldn’t have a month set aside for our history? What will Freeman replace Black History Month with in order to uphold our history?
When asked during the interview, “How can we get rid of racism?” Freeman said, “Stop talking about it.”
To me, that’s the same as saying ignore the cries of a hungry child, because if you do, he or she will eventually go away. February is Black History Month. I embrace it and look forward to its return, year after year.