BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WHY WE NEED IT AND HOW CELEBRATING IT ALIGNS WITH OUR VISION STATEMENT AND CORE VALUES
 
Mrs. Gloria Turner, 5 th grade teacher said to me, “Jim, there is more to our history than what is written in our history books. Always seek more knowledge through your own study and always read with a critical mind”. As I read more books and wrote more book reports about WWI, WWII, the battles of Midway, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the settlement of the West, I always wondered if African Americans were a part of our history since all the pictures in the books that I read were of white people. The history landscape has gotten much better on the independent reading trail; however, there is still much work to do to make African American history (and all other historically underrepresented ethnic groups) that is taught in our schools, at all levels, become an integral part of OUR collective history. Until we get there, there will ALWAYS be a need to celebrate and to highlight the contributions of African Americans with a month of emphasis.
 
The father of Black History Month, George G Woodson, created Negro History Week in Feb 1926 to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the US. Woodson’s original intent was that the celebration would continue ONLY until Black history was fully integrated into the American story. In 1976 President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month. He urged Americans to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Every administration since then has recognized Black History Month and its mission. But it was not until Congress passed National Black History Month into law in 1986 that many in the country began to observe it formally. It was initially a way of teaching students and young people about Black and African Americans contributions. Now it’s seen as a celebration of those who’ve impacted not just the country but the world with their activism and achievements.
 
Unfortunately, most history books still relegate African American contributions of our shared history to brief discussions of slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement. By marginalizing Black history, the legislated standards of Learning proved to be an incomplete guide for what is important to teach in our public schools, and yet this has inspired the quest to fully integrate black history into the national narrative. Conventional politicized narratives refute the reality that the contributions of African American people are deeply woven into the fabric of our nation’s history. Instead of Black history being studied all year round, with all children being able to see African American contributions and connections across the entire curriculum, black history is often isolated within the realm of arts, sports, and religion. WE ALL LOSE BY NOT TEACHING INCLUSIVE HISTORY. For example, most of us have learned about George Washington Carver, the celebrated botanist; however, most of us have probably never heard about other Black inventors who influenced American life, such as: Mary Van Brittan Brown, who co-invented the home security system in 1966; Garrett Morgan, who invented the 3 way traffic light in 1940; Frederick McKinley Jones, who invented the refrigerated truck in 1940; Mark Dean, who co-invented the color IBM PC monitor and gigahertz chip, 1980 and 1999, to name a few. 
 
As Rotarians, supporting Black History Month, and other ethnic/cultural history months, strengthens our core values of fellowship (enjoying the shared histories and experiences of everyone) integrity (following our moral compass to be respectful and grateful for everyone), diversity (forging partnership and relationships across race, ethnicity, age, nation of origin, gender, sexual orientation and physical ability), service (unselfishly helping others across race, color, gender, sexual orientation, age and physical ability)and leadership (leading people and organizations across race, color, gender, sexual orientation and physical ability) and Rotary’s vision statement of “together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe in our communities and in ourselves.”
 
During this month of celebration, grab a fellow Rotarian and visit one of the following to learn more about our rich and complex shared history: The National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Heritage Center; Black Liberated Arts Council; Chickasha and the Verden Separate School; guided walking tour Tatums OK; Greenwood District, Tulsa; John Hope Franklin Center For Reconciliation; Black Wall Street; Vernon A.M.E Methodist Church; Three Rivers Museum, Muskogee; Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame, Rentieville, OK; Langston U; Boley, OK; Ft Sill
National Historic Landmark and Museum (Buffalo Soldiers of the 9 th and 10 th Calvary)….to name a few to get you started. Marcus Garvey was quoted as saying: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Let us celebrate and remember our shared history so that we can continue to water and nourish the foundational roots of who we are as a people and as a nation.
 
James "Chili" McQuillar
Midwest City Rotary