Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 4 February 1999 — Page 2

The Muncie Times, February 4,1999, Page 2

EDITORIAL

February: A month to think about African Americans

Another February has arrived and with it the opportunity once more to look exclusively at a major blot in this country’s history: the exclusion of African Americans and other ethnic minorities from most of the this country’s written history. It is a crying shame that we still have to ask that our achievements are as much a-' part of American history as are those of our white European counterparts. History (called “His Story” by some) should not be used to extol the heritage of those who write it. It should, in this case, be the complete

record of the contributions, achievements and efforts of all the various groups that make up this heterogeneous country. We are not a homogeneous society. Our history should reflect that. Instead we have been forced to adopt February as African American History Month so we can remind fellow Americans that we exist, have made more than our share to world history and civilization and that we are not going to allow those who write history books and texts to continue blithely ignoring or undercutting our achievements. Leav-

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ing us out of history books seems to be part of a conspiracy to make black Americans, people of African descent, feel inferior and unworthy in comparison with those people of European heritage. Never in the history of humankind have such heinous crimes as were perpetrated during the sordid history of slavery. If there was one glaring example of crimes against humanity slavery was it. Millions of blacks perished during the perilous Middle Passage trip when, while packed like sardines, they were transported across the Atlantic Ocean. This human cargo was being brought to this country to work as human property. This is a reprehensible and despicable crime whose consequences continue to ripple across this country today. Yet there has been no compensation to those whose forefathers were so inhumanely treated. But compensation has been offered to Japanese Americans who were

illegally interned during World War 2. Jewish Holocaust victims have been compensated and are still being offered compensation. A Holocaust memorial stands in Washington, D.C. No such memorial exists to honor the victims of slavery. The promised 40 acres and a mule never became a reality. Demands for reparations have been ignored. The descendants of slaves are still mistreated today. Racism is still rampant in this country, although in many cases it has become more subtle, more sophisticated and has taken on a white collar coloration. Some of the country’s top political leaders, such as Senate Republic Leader Trent Lott still belong to or associate with white supremacist groups. As we celebrate African American History Month we should think and reflect upon the problems this country faces on the race front. We should ask ourselves why very few of our students and our citizens know about Dr.

Charles Drew and his work on blood plasma, about blacks who invented the gas mask and the traffic light. We should ask ourselves why efforts to address racism, such as President Clinton’s Race Report, often sputter and fail. We should ask ourselves why we do not have a memorial dedicated to the victims of the slave trade. We should ask ourselves why we need a special month to observe African American History Month. We should ask ourselves why only one of Indiana’s 90-plus counties has an African American sheriff. As we celebrate African American History Month, we should also remember that something is drastically wrong when we dedicate one month a year to black Americans. American history should include all its people and their achievements throughout the year, not just once a year. That is the challenge and that is the opportunity facing us in February 1999.

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