Black History Month
As a Filipino immigrant, what do I know about Black History? I was taught the same things everyone else was taught if you went to public school. I knew slavery was bad, the Civil Rights Movement happened, and that Martin Luther King Jr. freed the enslaved... oh wait. That’s not what happened.
I didn’t truly understand the importance of Black History and how it’s intertwined with my immigrant story and the story of the United States. I didn’t get it until I took a semester of African-American history in the U.S. during my first year of college. I needed to truly understand because I had a feeling it somehow affected how I moved through the world.
The best way to explain what I learned is that African-American History is American History, and American History is African-American History. They are not parallel but interwoven and dependent on each other. Our democracy is founded on the backs of enslaved people, the genocide of Indigenous peoples, and the exclusion of immigrants. We have never been a peaceful country—we have always been violent. To pretend otherwise is both delusional and negligent.
Where am I going with this? Happy Black History Month. Acknowledge it, but don’t stop there. Black History should be recognized and understood all year long. Learn how it shapes your own life—because it does.
It’s Black History Month—Here Are 3 Things to Know About the Annual Celebration:
Black History Month started as "Negro History Week" in 1926. Carter G. Woodson, known as the "Father of Black History," established the week to recognize African-American contributions and ensure Black history was studied and valued. It expanded into Black History Month in 1976.
February was chosen because of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Both figures, who played significant roles in Black history, were born in February. Douglass, who was formerly enslaved and became a leading abolitionist, never knew his exact birthdate, but he celebrated it on February 14.
Black History is global. While the focus is often on the United States, Black History is deeply connected to movements across Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and beyond. The struggles for freedom, civil rights, and equality have influenced and been influenced by Black communities around the world.
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