Black History Month may be over, but black history is every day
Four years ago, I wrote a piece on Black History Month being snubbed for The English Students’ Society’s blog called Sassy Saturdays. I’ve now had four Black History Months to think about things and you’ll be happy to know that things have gotten better. With the help of the Guelph Black Heritage Society and the Guelph Black Student Association, Black History Month now lasts for at least two weeks for white people!This isn’t meant to criticize the black associations that have put a lot of time and effort into creating events, but to criticize anyone who walks past the banner on Raithby House without even glancing up. Black History Month is an important time for black people because it’s a designated time for us to scream from the hills that we’re awesome while also reminding society of black contributions violently obtained. As George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” and therefore it is incredibly important for our society to learn from Black History Month. At the end of February, it’s important to remember that the contributions of black people continue to deserve recognition.Also, it’s important to keep in mind that black people, like everyone else, are multidimensional. There’s an intersectionality to each person and Black History Month does not represent everyone the same way; black men may experience black history differently from black women; queer black women may experience black history differently from trans black men. It’s important not to put all black people in a box, but rather to see them for their differences. Rosemary Brown was the first black female member of a provincial legislature and a significant step forward for women, whereas Ruper Raj was a trans man who attempted to form a support group in 1971 and helped start a conversation about trans people in the community. Their contributions to Canada are different, but both deserve our recognition and respect. After years of experiencing Black History Month on campus, I believe that it also represents all who identify as people of colour.In this world, ruled by white cisgendered men, having the month of February to celebrate the contributions and strengths of people of colour is necessary. It’s easy to think, “If there’s a Black History Month, why isn’t there a ‘Brown History Month,’ or an ‘Asian History Month?’” I think that all people of colour can benefit from Black History Month if they see it as a time to celebrate everyone who has been taken advantage of by colonialism. To lift up one minority is to support them all. Our lives are intersectional, beautiful, and deserve to be respected for much longer than the 28 days of February.If you want to keep black history in your mind year ’round, there are dozens of books written by people of colour that you can find at your local library; workshops and festivals to attend; and people who you can have genuine conversations with about black history and experiences in Canada.
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