Show L African American history remembered I Leslie Conder Contributing Writer The strangest thing happened to tome tome tome me the other day I was logging onto the Salt Lake Community College and when it brought me to the login page I noticed a new backi back back- drop Finally something new I II i I thought to myself Then men i 1 noticed there was a theme behind the back backdrop backdrop backdrop drop pictures of famous African Americans The reason for this new backdrop is to help celebrate Black History Month But what is Black History Month How exactly or why exactly do we celebrate it Are we supposed to be doing something special special special cial during that month to pay respect to Black History Dont Don't get me wrong I think its it's wonderful to have havet havea t a month dedicated to Black History my point is I dont don't believe that anyone anyone any any- anyone one pays it its proper due including myself I All of our lives we are brought up going to history classes that talk ti t about white history and glamorize are as Americans how wonderful we t And then we skim over less important important important such as Native tant subjects American History and African American History We say that we weare weare weare history oi of are giving a complete these things if we take a day to talk about Martin Luther King Jr and another maybe two days talking about the Civil Rights Movement We talk about how Columbus discovered discovered discovered ered America which isn't even true but we dont don't really get into the whiteman white whiteman whiteman man stealing the Native Americans' Americans land We know that it happened but we dont don't get into details We get into details and conspiracies about who shot President John F. F Kennedy but do we even know where Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated There are dozens of history classes taught at but not one Black History class Black History month celebrates those African Americans who helped pave the way for those that followed them paying tribute to those African Americans American's who helped make this country more equal than what they found it to be Black History Month was started by Dr Carter G. G Woodson He was the son of two former slaves He started the Association for Negro Life and History in 1915 In 1926 he started Negro History Week He chose the second week in February because it marked the births of two Americans who greatly influenced the Black Community Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass A lot happened in February before and after 1926 which helped to sol sol- sol sol- the dedication of February to Black History Feb 23 1868 WEB Dubois civil rights lea leader er and cofounder cofounder cofounder co- co founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP was born Feb 3 1870 The Fifteenth Amendment was passed giving blacks the right to vote Feb 12 1909 the NAACP was founded Feb 1 1960 the rights civil-rights movement milestone occurred when a g group up of f tl black c Greens Greensboro oro N. N Ner college students began a sit sit-in al at a segregated lunch counter Feb 21 1965 Malcolm X was assassinated The United States of America is a wonderful melting pot full of different different different differ differ- ent backgrounds cultures and histories histo histo- ries We think that just because we know the I had a dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr that that makes us experts on the history behind it but we need need to find find out jabout j- j about t the h African i far beyond the outer crust Jt j Jo f ti j j r t L I I |