Black History Month: It's Racist | Teen Ink

Black History Month: It's Racist

June 3, 2014
By elliebell SILVER, Lewes, Other
elliebell SILVER, Lewes, Other
6 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinon without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy


October, amongst other things, is Black History Month - 31 days where we celebrate people who are black and all of their achievements. It's an inspired idea, isn't it? After the transatlantic slave trade and years of segregation and abuse, surely something must be done to decrease discrimination nowadays.

Is this really the right way to go about it, though? Black History Month patronises black people and detracts from their talent and worth as equal human beings. For the other 334 days of the year, it seems we are unable to celebrate the achievement's of black people. They've got a whole month to themselves after all!

Arguably, a White History Month would be seen as a racist attack on black people, and prohibiting a celebration of one racial group where another has a widely accepted month of recognition, IS racist.

Whether being shipped across the sea to be subjected to torture and inhumane treatment, or being allowed a month in which to celebrate their talents, people are being defined by the colour of their skin and we are not able to look past it. We applaud them, not out of pure admiration and respect, but because of their skin, seperating them from the rest of the world and thereby promoting racism. In our attempts to accept people and prevent discrimination, we have actually furthered the isolatation of certain groups and have put down other groups in the meantime.

I say forget Black History Month. Forget single colours. Celebrate the colourfulness and diversity of our planet, concentrating on smaller acts of resepect and thinking more about equality instead.



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This article has 1 comment.


on Aug. 17 2014 at 4:35 am
JesusandHisLawyers SILVER, Austin, Texas
7 articles 0 photos 99 comments

Favorite Quote:
"who the fuck has a favorite personal quote what does that even mean" - me, just now.

Yeah, sorry to break it to you, but the idea of being 'color blind' to race is racist in and of itself. White people don't get their very own history month because white people are not systematically oppressed. Black people have a different culture and different experience in American than white people, and when you say we should all be color blind what you really mean is "we should just pretend everybody is white". Acknowledge differences, embrace them, and let black people have their history month.