History Months

Living in the south presents many problems for a scholar, as I like to consider myself. One faces problems with race, political correctness, and the uneducated. It is difficult to express an opinion in the south without raising the ire of someone. However, I feel that opinions need to be expressed.

The current opinion that I feel needs to be expressed deals with this month of February. Technically, every month is supposed to be dedicated to celebrate the history of a particular group of people. February is Black History Month. March is designated as Women, Greek, and Irish Heritage Month. May is for Asian Pacific and Jewish Heritage. June for Caribbean Heritage. September is designated for Hispanic heritage. German, Italian, and Polish are supposed to be celebrated in October. Finally, November is Native American Heritage Month.

This sounds like a great idea, but living in the south you come to recognize a serious disproportionate amount of attention being placed on February. Every channel from ABC, to NBC, to CBS, to Disney, to the History Channel, they all pay special attention to Black History Month. I can’t turn on my TV without seeing some special segment highlighting some figure in African American History. This is wonderful. I am not saying that it is a bad thing to learn about the contributions of African Americans on history, the world, and America.

Not only is the whole month dedicated to one group but what about all the other months? Rarely do I see a special in March about great Women how have contributed to history, much less the contributions of Greek or Irish Americans. I cannot think of a time where I saw a commercial while waiting for a show to come on in May that highlights Asian Pacific or Jewish contributions. Or the Germans, Italians, or Polish in October. Nor do I see hardly anything besides Thanksgiving propaganda in November, rarely anything about actual Native American history or heritage.

Why do we put such emphasis on African Americans in the south and this country? Why is their history so much more meaningful and important than all the other groups in this country? Why can’t we teach and celebrate history as a whole? Why do we have to segment it in order to celebrate it and do it justice?