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Page 2A — Wednesday, February 17, 2021, The True Citizen
Is Black History Month
a Relic of the Past?
MICHAEL SEARLES
The question usually raised
each February is, “Should there
be a Black Flistory Month?”
Black Flistory Month was
established in 1926 as Negro
Flistory Week by noted African
American historian Dr. Carter
G. Woodson. Negro Flistory
Week was expanded to Black
Flistory Month in 1976. Dr.
Woodson dedicated his profes
sional career to uncovering and
presenting the history of Afri
can Americans. Fie was born
in Virginia, the son of former
slaves, started out in life not in
school but in the coal mines of
West Virginia. From this inaus
picious beginning, he later, at
age 20, attended Douglass Fligh
School and after graduation
attended and graduated from
Berea College in Kentucky in
1903. FTis career led him to
teaching, administrative posi
tions, and becoming a school
supervisor in the Philippines. In
1908, Woodson gained a bach
elors and masters degree from
the University of Chicago. In
1912, he became only the sec
ond African American to earn
a PhD degree from Harvard
University.
Dr. Woodson pursued a life
long dream to transform how
people viewed black people.
He spent most of his academic
career teaching at historically
black Howard University in
Washington, D.C. His desire
to educate black people and the
nation as a whole inspired him
to create the Association for the
Study of Negro Life and His
tory in 1915 and the Journal of
Negro History. Even with these
notable contributions, black
people continued to experience
discrimination and segregation.
The need to tell and retell the
story of black accomplishments
and achievements confronted
each new generation. As Black
Americans climbed the ladder
of success, obstacles continued
to be placed in their path.
The reason we continue to
celebrate Black History Month
is twofold: The promise of
America as expressed in the
Declaration of Independence—
“We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, that
among these are life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness.”
America truly will live up to
those words when we become
one Nation under God, indivis
ible, with liberty and justice
for all. The second reason
is that the story of America
cannot be told or understood
without learning, understand
ing, and appreciating the role
of black people in the making
of America.
America has seen black men
and women rise to the offices
of Supreme Court Justices,
Secretary of the Army, Sec
retary of State, Secretary of
Defense, President and Vice
President of the United States,
yet there are many Americans
who have not read about the
struggles and obstacles that
black people have faced in the
past and even today. It is that
lack of knowledge that allows
some Americans to believe
black people have done little to
advance the nation. This lack
of knowledge is something that
has to be challenged not only
during Black History Month
but throughout the year.
Black History Month is not
a relic of the past but a time
when the nation’s eyes are
focused on a segment of the
population that is often ignored
and denigrated. Black History
BLACK
HISTORY
MONTH
Month is not just a time for
African Americans to be proud,
but also for America to realize
that we would not be the nation
we have become without their
presence. We know the names
of Harriett Tubman, George
Washington Carver, Booker T.
Washington, and Jackie Robin
son, but history is being made
each day in various segments
of our society.
One example: Kizzmekia
“Kizzy” Shanta Corbett, an
American viral immunologist
at the Vaccine Research Center
(VRC) at the National Insti
tute of Allergy and infectious
Diseases, National Institute
of Health who serves as the
scientific lead of the VCR’s
Coronavirus Team. She has
been recognized by the Cen
ter’s Director Dr. Anthony
Fauci as a scientist right at the
forefront of the development of
the vaccine.
Let us celebrate the accom
plishments—past and present-
-of African Americans who
have shaped and continue to
shape what makes America
great. We should recognize
Black History Month and black
accomplishments as a reason
for National Celebration.
Sheriff Alfonzo Williams Dr. Henry Hankerson Leon McGee
African American History Month
DR. EMANUEL LARKIN
Contributor
Burke County Improvement
Association joins with the
Association for the Study of
African American Life and
History commemorating the
2021 African American History
Month with the theme “The
Black Family: Representation,
Identity and Diversity.l
The black family has been
a topic of study in many dis
ciplines including history, lit
erature, the visual arts and
film studies, sociology, an
thropology and social policy.
Its representation, identity and
diversity have been reverenced,
stereotyped, and vilified from
the days of slavery to the pres
ent time.
While the role of the black
family has been described by
some as a microcosm of the
entire race, its complexity as
the “foundation” of African
American life and history
can be seen in numerous de
bates over how to represent its
meaning and typicality from
a historical perspective as a
slave or free, as patriarchal or
matriarchal, as single-headed
or dual-headed household, as
extended or nuclear, as Active
kin or blood lineage, as legal
or common law and as black or
interracial. The family offers a
rich tapestry of images for ex
ploring the African American
past and present.
Also during this commemo
ration, BCIA President Emanu
el Larkin Jr. named three Burke
County natives for the coveted
African American Heritage
Award.
The African American Heri
tage Trailblazer Award re
cipient was Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams for being the first
African American appointed
Chief of Police of Waynesboro,
serving April 2011-February
2013, and the first African
American elected Sheriff of
Burke County, on Nov. 8,2016.
The African American
Heritage Community Service
Award was received by Dr.
Henry Hankerson for improv
ing the quality of life for oth
ers through community uplift
programs of Omega Psi Phi
Fraternity Inc.
The African American Heri
tage Athletic Award went to
Leon McGee for outstanding
sportsmanship and perfor
mance as a running back for
Burke County High SchooFs
football team and the 2020
Central Savannah River Area
All-Star football team.
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