Well, I couldn’t let February exit without mentioning something about the concept of Black history month. I just don’t understand the purpose of it.
Black people are probably some of the most talented people on the planet and it seems that in everything they take part in they end up taking it over. This is not something to brag about, it’s just a fact. In the sciences, Black people have been behind some of the greatest innovations known to man. And in most cases, some white guy took the credit because Blacks were unable to hold patents. Research all the inventions Thomas Edison is credited for and when you do you will just call him a thief.
In the medical field, Blacks have also dominated the industry starting with the first Black man to practice medicine in America. Dr. James McCune Smith was the first in 1837; Dr. Charles Drew changed blood transfusion storage; Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed one of the first open heart surgeries and founded the first Black-owned hospital; inventor Otis Boykin improved the pacemaker; and everyone knows what Dr. Ben Carson did.
Of course, in sports, there are way too many to name but the greatest boxers, basketball, football, baseball, soccer, tennis, track and field competitors and golfers are people of color. Before the NHL was formed Canada already had the Colored Hockey League (CHL) and many of the innovations in hockey came from that league.
Cooking, business, construction, you name it, but throughout history, there has been a great fear coupled with the mistreatment of people of color. Exclusion, inequality, racism, and the like have been embarrassing to this country. So it seems to have a month to celebrate the contributions is a slap in the face.
Some of the greatest movies, music, art, poetry, and entertainment have always come from people of color. Yet somehow in all of these fields, Black people have still not benefitted financially from being the best.
It would be better to just not have a month to discuss any minority contributions. We should just compensate them properly for their contributions and move on!
ClydeStyle 