Brrrrr! I got so caught up in the big winter storm that's striking well over half the country and pushing temps in my area down to their lowest levels in decades, that I forgot that today is February 1st, the beginning of Black History Month. And I hate that.
I don't like Black History Month. I don't like any of these racial/ethnic history months, ethnic studies, etc.. Liberals would say that minority studies and history months are necessary to right past wrongs and enhance the self-esteem of minority people. I disagree. These things, in my opinion, undermine the whole idea of a shared American identity and are contrary to the spirit of Martin Luther King's assertion that people should be judged by the content of their character and not their race.
When we teach history in schools the accomplishments of Blacks and other minorities should be included as they actually happened, i.e. as an integral part of American history. If a class is learning about inventors, for instance, Black inventors should be included in the same way as White ones, i.e., without stressing their race. Teachers shouldn't emphasize Black inventors as Black inventors. That wouldn't be teaching kids history; that would be teaching kids to like Black people. And that's wrong...and racist. Schools should not promote one race over any other race, not even in the name of racial justice or equality.
If we want real racial equality then educational segregation has to go. We'll never create a colorblind society by constantly highlighting color. It's time to put content of character above race, for real. We can start by saying bye-bye to Black History Month and hello to American history. Period.
2 comments:
I couldn't have said it better, SA.
You, we, everyone can blame their national governments for this; Canada is just as screwed up.
Any nation that would put into written law that every citizen is of equal value has a responsibility to make that a reality. If the law, education and even religions can't reflect this, then the hammer needs to be brought down on the shortcomings. In Canada and the U.S., both the law and education systems are to blame. And this isn't just about race relations, either; it applies to all kinds of bigotry flying in every direction. You can only blame the people for so much; the government is called as such because it exists to govern and mediate. It does essentially make the laws, and as such it is responsible for enforcing them. If it doesn't do it's job, why are you paying taxes?
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