COMMENTARY: Remembering black history is American history

Why don’t we have White History Month?

I was recently talking with a medical professional and the subject of Black History Month, which was marked last month, came up. The phrase had barely been uttered when this person I have known and respected for many years quipped, “Why don’t we have White History Month?”

The response seemed obvious; pretty much every month is white history month. In fact, every day, 365 days a year, is white history month. In reality, pretty much the entire history of the United States (as we usually hear it) is white history month.

Full disclosure, I am a white person – you have no doubt already guessed that the medical professional was also a white person. More disclosure, I went to a rural high school and knew the names of all five black people in my high school; yep, five. I became much more exposed to diversity (and the value thereof) when I went off to college. Many of those black friends I made in college I still stay in touch with — one, a retired lawyer and another, a retired college president.

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European white people came to what we now call the United States and, over hundreds of years, pushed the Native American people already living here to comparatively small, pretty much nonproductive land areas. Largely white government is still pushing the Native Americans — witness the recent activities associated with the Dakota Access oil pipeline across Lakota Native American land.

White guys decided to round up all the Japanese-American people on the West Coast, where most of them lived, and put them in guarded camps during World War II. Many of these families had sons who were actually in the service during World War II fighting for their country while their parents and families languished in these detention camps. Many of these people never got back the properties they had owned once the war was over. Even more sadly, many were American citizens.

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United States history is replete with such examples: the mistreatment of the Chinese in California (even as they built our railroads), the Irish on the East Coast, and the “Know Nothing” party in the Midwest during the time of Lincoln. This group strongly opposed immigrants and followers of the Catholic Church. We hardly need to be reminded of 300 years of slavery (since we started off talking about Black History Month). This nation of immigrants always seems to be overly concerned about the newest wave of immigrants who are perceived as extremely different from the ones already here.

A primary reason for Black History Month, and no doubt there are many, is to learn about all the accomplishments – often made from behind the scenes or under segregated circumstances – of accomplished black Americans. Some of the toughest fighters in WW I and WW II were black soldiers and pilots, people we have only learned about because efforts have been made to bring these accomplishments to light. Black History Month is one of those efforts. And then finally we have had a black president.

Does this mean our problems are behind us? Far from it, but Black History Month helps bring many laudable accomplishments to light, accomplishments that have helped make the United States great.


Some of the toughest fighters in WW I and WW II were black soldiers and pilots, people we have only learned about because efforts have been made to bring these accomplishments to light. Black History Month is one of those efforts.

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