Anybody remember we’re in the middle of Black History Month? Being overwhelmed by all the coverage?  Hardly. I can tell you except for a couple of snippets on NPR, I haven’t heard a peep. Though some of us are not saying it, has Black History Month as a method of talking about and promoting black history become obsolete?

Has Black History Month become a bit like Unions and the NAACP in that, regardless if you believe they should exist or not right now, the biggest and most positive changes born from their existence have occurred early in their existence?  People aren’t forced to work 80 hour weeks. If you are black, no one can tell you to sit at the back of the bus and blacks have inroads into jobs and lives that were unimaginable 30 years ago. And we see more black faces leading companies and owning business than in the 1960s and 70s. Yes, there are still improvement to be made, and racism is alive a well and living in a person near you, but you can’t argue that things haven’t improved.

And those wins are so woven into society, Americans, black and white, take it for granted no one is going to look at you twice or kill you for sitting in the front of a bus or walking into a restaurant.  Generations now grows up to see a world were the artists that white  kids emulate and sit at the top of charts are black.  Black presidential candidates are taken seriously. With all that, is the now seemingly muted celebrations of Black History Month Black a quiet acceptance on the increasing irrelevance to formally celebrate black history in its current form? Especially with a black man making history as leader of the free world?  Do children too far distant from civil rights see Black History Month as a message and meaningful to them as if you ran a public service had reminding them you “wait for the dial tone before using your rotary dial.”  A message that doesn’t fit the current times.

Maybe it’s a chance to think why do why have Black History Month.  Not that black history is not important. It is. Very much so. Movies like Red Tails, Glory, poked through the glut of white focused movies to show the contribution of blacks in history.  History that is often dismissed. I’m guessing that’s partially because people in the 60s, 70′s and 80s that was still uncomfortable with the increasing rights and social stature of blacks. And as such made overt, if not passive aggressive, actions to make blacks look no deserving of the same respect as other Americans. After all, how could you call blacks lazy and stupid if you also had to concede they played major roles in America’s wars and inventions that led to national prosperity?

And that I suspect was the original purpose of Black History Month. A counter-measure. To let the public know that blacks, stereotyped as lazy and dumb, made real contributions to society through American history that have often been played down then credit is passed around.  But with a black man serving as the most powerful man in the free world, and African-American now taking a greater role in profiting from their work (Jay Z, Diddy, Magic Johnson) than others exploiting their work, it is much harder to deny those contributions than in times past.

Now there are some, who simply feel threatened by the idea of focusing on black achievements.  Or even acknowledging them. Like these folks.

When Is White History Month

Or these folks.  The 40 Absolutely Worst People in America

But there may be in some in this group that are VERY inarticulately (verging on racism) saying that black history needs to focus on becoming a significant part of American history and not just black history. For those who hate or disparage this idea of Black History Month on principled reasons like this, we might find common ground there. But to those same people, it’s hard for me to believe that you simply believe the idea of promoting Black History Month is overkill. Only to watch the same people frown on incorporating any black issues into history books.  When that’s the case, then it is probably not about Black History Month, it’s more about being a ethnic diva.  A diva that sees the other talented ethnic singers a threat and competition. Competition who must always remember their place is in the background on the stage of history – never taking attention away from the diva. And that is racially and historically unhealthy.