As I hope you all well know, this month is observed as Black History Month. While we Negro folk use the occassion to educate people all races of our very rich and meaningful history in this country and abroad, some people (non blacks) find it to be an exclusionary exercise in reverse racism. To my chagrin there is much ado about the lack of a month designated to spotlight the white contributions to history from our caucasian brethren come February (even though the reason why there are specific historical appreciation months dedicated to the contributions of numerous minority groups is because they have marginalized by the over-saturation of white patriarchal ideals as it pertains to the narrative of American life). I am especially dismayed at the number of bigoted YOUNG white folk who have expressed their intolerance for ANYTHING that would take whiteness from the forefront of American culture even if only for a month or worse shed light on the ill-doings of their ancestors. God forbid that whiteness should EVER have to stand in the umber of Negro antiquities. Honestly I'm shocked to find that there would even be so many vehemently racist and culturally retarded white kids in this country with their love of all things Weezy. Has this rap music radio takeover given these young whites the notion that a thing such as Black History Month no longer has merit or cause based on our dominance in the entertainment sphere? Could it be that they are getting the wrong ideas about the value we place on blackness with our Fuck-all-these-niggas-cause-I'm-gettin-money bravado? Or perhaps is it our half-Negro President-elect that has given them the notion that we live in a post-racial society with no justifiable need for such an arcane tradition as Black History Month? Hell no. The problem is that they're being taught the same fucked up values that have been passed down through generations of racist assholes who are so preoccupied with minorities remaining underfoot that the simple truth of human oneness completely eludes them after 400 years in a country filled almost completely with IMMIGRANTS. Yes, you white people are the descendants of immigrants--just like Keisha, Pablo, Kim Soo and Amir. No matter how many generations removed, all of us (barring the N A T I V E S) are imports to this United States of America.
Since after ALL this time of alien occupation in this country the white man STILL refuses to teach his children racial tolerance, how about we go ahead and give them that appreciation month they've had to endure every year without once and for all? I hereby declare that the month of March should be recognized as "White American Intolerance Month". During these 31 days America will celebrate A L L the reasons why Black, Latino, Native American, Women's history weeks/months exist by highlighting every racist, sexist, imperialist, elitist, discriminatory act committed by "our" forefathers to showcase THEIR very rewarding contributions to American societal development. During White American Intolerance Month we will go over everything from the near extinction of the Natives to slavery to homophobia to sexism to the unlawful occupation of other nations to cheap outsourced labor--
No? Those aren't the contributions you were talking about? I find it odd that there would be any objection since my recollection of my historical education is riddled with the glories of white American bravery and sticktoitivness. Sure we grazed over the less honorable white American moments like slavery, the Teapot Dome Scandal, and the Klan but I don't remember much about the Black Power movement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Watts and Chicago riots, Black Wall Street, the Back to Africa Movement, or the Louisiana slave revolt but as an America Negro I'm probably what Bill O'Reilly calls "biased".
As an objective and fair woman I am willing to take that charge AND compromise so how about this? We KEEP these culturally specific appreciation months as they ARE and white folks should try to educate themselves for the duration. We black people don't want to keep BHM just for our own nubian edification. No, we NEED Black History Month to remind everyone in this country of the fact that we are here and our story matters every bit as much as any other. Do we seek to demonize white folk and bludgeon them with past transgressions for the entire month of February as a bitter revenge for all our people have been made to suffer at the hands of their predecessors? No but I'd be lying if I said I was in any way opposed to that as a side effect. If it was up to me we probably wouldn't have a BHM. If it was up to me I'd rewrite every American History book to include everything black that ever happened since the day we got here but I ain't in charge of that shit. I believe the ONLY reason BHM still exists is because our children, our offspring, our generations are still being whitewashed by these unfathomably limited education systems we have to rely on to craft their young minds. Our kids STILL go to school everyday wondering where exactly they fit into the ethnic patchwork of Americana. Thanks to BHM you white folk have to work something of ours into your lesson plans... Even if only for a month. It's called "due diligence" bitch. Handle it with some mutha fuckin decorum... And quietly if you can manage to do so.
