This summer, the United States will celebrate 250 years of independence. However, this is not the only anniversary to commemorate. February marks the 50th anniversary of Black History Month as it exists now, and 100 years of this recognition in some form. As we reflect on these milestones, the struggle for freedom has seldom been more important.
When Dr. Carter G. Woodson launched Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month, in 1926, he understood the role of history and education in repairing the damages of centuries of enslavement and racism. In 1927, Dr. Woodson proclaimed, “What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.” Black History Month, officially recognized in its current state by President Gerald Ford in 1976, is an intentional effort to combat the steady diet of misinformation and racist propaganda by uplifting Black people’s mighty achievements and histories.
As Dr. Woodson advised, history has the power to connect, unite, and reeducate society. It highlights our shared humanity despite pervasive systems of miseducation and division. Education and recognition are essential pillars to repair the protracted arc of exploitation, trauma, pain, and systemic inequity that African Americans have endured and continue to experience.
Repair Is More Than Monetary
By uplifting truth and positive images of Black people and their creations, Black History Month is an ever-present example of the practical urgency and historic call for repair. From slave ships to the ballot box, and to all the preventable injustices that persist in between, Black History Month is an invitation to acknowledge and embrace the truth while committing to build a more inclusive and just future.
Without an honest and robust engagement and documentation of history and context, it is impossible to fully grasp the depth and breadth of the necessity of reparations. When people think of reparations, they often think of a paycheck, but repair is not just monetary; it is awareness, dignity, and recognition. It is about healing from centuries of systemic denial of happiness and co-creating the tools to rectify, remedy, and prevent future harms. Every February, our country has an opportunity to ground ourselves in the truth that America is the product of the deliberate and untold contributions of African Americans.
Black History Is American History
Indeed, Black history is American history; we cannot discuss one without the other. Benjamin Banneker, a scientist and astronomer, designed Washington, D.C. Enslaved Black people built the White House and the Capitol. The past, present, and future of the United States exist because of the contributions of Black people, and we name that truth today and every day.
Recognizing these contributions could shift the conversation on educational and social repair. In fact, we should all be researching which parts of our respective cities and communities were planned and developed by Black people. We should be questioning and investigating how systemic injustices imperil progress decades later. That, in and of itself, is a form of repair accessible to us all.
Remembering in Order to Repair
Amid a virulent political environment and threats to racial justice, this February, and every month thereafter, we can commit to remember and engage in the ongoing struggle for reparative justice. We can recall in order to narrate a future that belongs to us all.
When Dr. Woodson began his great project in 1926, he faced significant barriers. His accomplishments were not achieved easily; he struggled for history to be shared and fought through the racism he faced. Negro History Week was not accepted and recognized straight away, but it lived in the hearts and minds of those who believed in justice until it grew into an undeniable force.
We cannot be discouraged by the struggles and barriers to justice we face today. Progress grows in the hard times when good people rise against what they know is wrong. Movements expand and evolve over administrations, across political trends, and through changing laws. The history of those who came before us motivates us through difficulties and shows us what is possible.
No matter where America is politically, there is still opportunity; opportunity to expand our awareness, share in our knowledge, and allow initiatives for justice to flourish. With open minds, love, and the will to persevere for what is true and right, we can go beyond what we think is possible and find repair in our history.
Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter is a sociologist and public scholar focusing on Black communities, urban policy, and reparative justice. He is the author of “Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation.”
