Hillsdale students should celebrate Black History Month. Courtesy | Flickr
Hillsdale College’s values are consistent with those of Black History Month, yet the College Democrats were the only group on campus to take notice of the occasion in 2022.
If Hillsdale students truly believe that the American founding principles of liberty and equality are exceptional, they should celebrate the men and women who fought to extend these principles to Black Americans during Black History Month.
Harvard-trained historian Carter Woodson, known as the “father of Black history,” named the first Black history week in the second week of February 1926. He encouraged public schools to take part in a weeklong celebration of the achievements of Black Americans every February, according to History.com.
“History shows that it does not matter who is in power or what revolutionary forces take over the government, those who have not learned to do for themselves and have to depend solely on others never obtain any more rights or privileges in the end than they had in the beginning,” Woodson said in his book.
Woodson saw a need for Black History Week because many historians misconstrued the meaning of the Civil War.
“They recast the Civil War, not as a war over slavery and the meaning of liberty and equality in the United States, but rather as a war in defense of states rights, and against the intrusions of federal government — a war that was fought to defend southern honor and virtue,” Hillsdale College Assistant Professor of History James Strasburg said.
Woodson intended for Black History Week to bring the Black experience to the attention of Americans. He wanted to remind Americans to study history from multiple perspectives, leading to a more complete understanding of the past.
He chose the second week of February because it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
Former President Gerald Ford officially recognized the entire month of February as Black History Month in 1976. In a speech, he called Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Since 1926, in part because of Woodson’s efforts, Black history has entered the mainstream and is now a part of most school history curricula. Regardless, Americans still need a specific reminder of the contributions of Black Americans, such as Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, Ida B. Wells, and W.E.B. DuBois, to prevent them from forgetting how far our country has come concerning civil rights.
Black History Month remains valuable because it continues to focus attention on a strand of the American story which has been downplayed in previous generations. American history includes Black history, and it should be integrated into the American story. Black History Month dedicates one month to raising awareness which would extend throughout the rest of the year.
Black History Month highlights the uniqueness of the American experiment. The story of the long road to equality for all races causes discomfort, shame, and pain, but it is also a story of resilience, progress, and hope. America has overcome many challenges, and the study of Black Americans who fought for positive changes in America will inspire Americans today to preserve the blessings of liberty. America was founded on the principles of equality, freedom, and natural rights, and the story of the extension of these principles to people of all races is fundamental to the American story. Black History Month shows that we can hope in America’s founding principles because they prescribe liberty for all.
Critics argue that if we dedicate a month on the calendar to celebrating Black history, we will need to celebrate the history of every minority group in America. The experiences of other minority groups in American history deserve remembrance, but the Black experience in American history is categorically different. No other group in American history has suffered from America’s original sin of slavery as Black Americans have. As a result, Black history warrants special consideration in America, particularly on a campus like that of Hillsdale College.
Hillsdale has celebrated the equality of all people since its founding. Since free-will Baptist abolitionists started the college in 1844, Hillsdale has always provided equal admission opportunities to those of all races.
“Black Americans believed in the American experiment, even as the full benefits of that experiment were often given to them with limited applications,” Strasburg said. “We have a lot to learn from them about the human desire for freedom, and about hope and resilience in the face of challenging circumstances.”
Hillsdale promotes the study of the United States as a land of hope for all. In response, Hillsdale students should remember the contributions of Black Americans to the great American story every February.
