2008 Woodie Awards
Black History Month
Making Your Mark on the American Landscape
Dr. Julian Chambliss
Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: Life & Times
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Well, it is Black History Month again. As usually my immediate thought is that we got the shortest month. Black people have done a lot for this country; you could have at least given us January. I did not take up this space to complain however; instead I want to consider the importance of a "black" history month.
It is true; the average person cannot identify famous black inventors, politicians, educators, doctors, or artists. On the other hand, it is likely that person could not identify any famous white persons for the same thing. It is asking a lot of people who cannot find Iraq on a globe to remember things that happened five, fifty, or even 150 years ago. Yet, the whole idea of a special month is problematic. For example, April is…Poetry Month…no, wait, it is Math Month, no, that is not right, it is Zoo and Aquarium Month. April is all of these things, yet when April rolls around I think to myself, "How long until the semester is over?"
The problem with a special month is that people sleepwalk through it, leaving the meaning behind the month….meaningless. Do not get me wrong, the need to celebrate the unique culture of the many peoples that make up the United States is noble. Yet, being forced to do so has been, and continues to be, a source of resentment.
Recently, Francis Fuyukama, a guest at the upcoming Rollins Colloquy, wrote in Prospect Magazine that the American identity is rooted in a White Protestant culture. As a result, the things Americans most identify with themselves, "the famous Protestant work ethic, the American proclivity for voluntary association and the moralism of American politics are all by-products of this Anglo-Protestant heritage." This interpretation of American identity plays well in Peoria, but it is not really true.
At the turn of the twentieth century, many Americans were convinced what made this country great was that the process of creating the United States incorporated the best elements of many immigrant people and forged them into an "American" identity where deeds and ideas mattered more than class, traditions, and lineage. Basically, immigration and multiculturalism made American unique. There were some conceits in this "melting pot" idea. As a result, quintessentially ethnic foods such as pasta were adopted by the everyday Americans. In this way, difference was disconnected from individual groups and applied to the whole.
It is true; the average person cannot identify famous black inventors, politicians, educators, doctors, or artists. On the other hand, it is likely that person could not identify any famous white persons for the same thing. It is asking a lot of people who cannot find Iraq on a globe to remember things that happened five, fifty, or even 150 years ago. Yet, the whole idea of a special month is problematic. For example, April is…Poetry Month…no, wait, it is Math Month, no, that is not right, it is Zoo and Aquarium Month. April is all of these things, yet when April rolls around I think to myself, "How long until the semester is over?"
The problem with a special month is that people sleepwalk through it, leaving the meaning behind the month….meaningless. Do not get me wrong, the need to celebrate the unique culture of the many peoples that make up the United States is noble. Yet, being forced to do so has been, and continues to be, a source of resentment.
Recently, Francis Fuyukama, a guest at the upcoming Rollins Colloquy, wrote in Prospect Magazine that the American identity is rooted in a White Protestant culture. As a result, the things Americans most identify with themselves, "the famous Protestant work ethic, the American proclivity for voluntary association and the moralism of American politics are all by-products of this Anglo-Protestant heritage." This interpretation of American identity plays well in Peoria, but it is not really true.
At the turn of the twentieth century, many Americans were convinced what made this country great was that the process of creating the United States incorporated the best elements of many immigrant people and forged them into an "American" identity where deeds and ideas mattered more than class, traditions, and lineage. Basically, immigration and multiculturalism made American unique. There were some conceits in this "melting pot" idea. As a result, quintessentially ethnic foods such as pasta were adopted by the everyday Americans. In this way, difference was disconnected from individual groups and applied to the whole.
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