Can African American Youth succeed?

In recent discussions of African-American population, a controversial issue has been whether Black history shall be confined to Black History Month or extended into the regular curriculum. On the one hand, some argue that Black History month will slowly undo the damage done by Eurocentric history. Looking at the issue from this prospective, one would be in favor of keeping Black history within the month of February. In spite of this, others argue that one month of history per year is not enough for African American’s to get around the barriers and obstacles that have left them socially crippled. In the words of this views main endorser, Malcolm X, “When we send our children to school they learn nothing about us other than that we used to be cotton pickers.” The essence of Malcolm X’s argument is that the African- American youth are not directly exposed to the pleasant history of Blacks. Ultimately, the issue is whether Black History is only left to the moth of February or the school systems incorporate an Afro-centric history into the year round curriculum.

I agree that Black history should be extended beyond black history month because my experience as an African-American student confirms it. I grew up seeing only the images of George Washington and famous Caucasian explores, but not historically important Black leaders, this left me feeling lost and alienated. This lack of location within a historical plot created a stigma on me that caused me to question my chances for success in this country. In response to my limitations, I found asylum in reading out side of the school curriculum. I began my enrichment with studies of ancient Egypt, Ethiopia and ventured as far beyond Toussaint L’ouveture and the Haitian revolution. These are but a few essential examples of the many facts left out.

While African-Americans have only a few hundred years of history in America, African history dates back to thousands of years. The preferential focus on the relatively short part of the story beginning when Blacks were enslaved and dominated by whites once again makes white - not Blacks - the focus of Black history month. Incorporating Black history into the regular curriculum will successfully wipe some of the negative misconceptions that have been tied to blacks. Meanwhile white students are more prepared to respect and value Blacks' contributions today when they having a more realistic understanding of the thousands of years of Black history.

It is often said that America is a big melting pot. To be more specific, my hometown is in famous for its diversity. The reputations of both America and my home town, implies that they consist of many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. How in the 21st century, can a place be so diverse but it’s history is not. In order to keep up with the status quo, we must incorporate the African part of history as well as the Caucasian. Clearly, the teaching of Black History must not be arbitrarily limited to Black History Month. Although some assert that that time is an issue, I contend that we have it within our power to use time any way we like, because, as Albert Einstein proved, time is not a constant. More thorough teaching of Black History will lead to a positive outcome. As I learned by independent study, Students, Blacks, whites and others will realize that the history of Blacks is much more than the history of Black struggle in the United States of America.