Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 6 March 2003 — Page 2

Page 2 • The Muncie Times • March 6. 2003

EDITORIAL

Black history lives on beyond February celebrations

February has come and gone--not to return again until next year. For many people, the end of February also means the end of any concerns or thoughts about African American History Month. That is unfortunate. To us, African American history is not time specific to February, the shortest month of the year. African American history does not begin and end in February. It should be celebrated year round. It should be an integral part of the mosaic that we call American history. It should be an opportunity to move away from a Eurocentric approach to one that accepts the

richness that multiculturalism and multi-ethnicism bring to the American table. We do a disservice to our children and to future generations when we teach them about American history as having its roots in European history and Western civilization or African American history as having its antecedents in slavery and white plantations. The history of the United States is a mosaic because it should include contributions from the various rainbow groups that make up this country. The United States has people from virtually every country in the

world. There are people of African, Central and South American, Asian, Australian, European and Middle East descent. Each group has distinctive cultures, languages, religions, history and beliefs. A true history of the United States, therefore, should take into account the contributions that have been made to the richness of this country by those who came from all these countries. The United States has always prided itself on being a melting pot. To realize the full meaning of that term, we must accept and recognize the contributions, humanity and achievements of

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people from all over the globe who have made this home, including slaves brought over from Africa. Before they landed in North America, they had their own history, civilization, languages, religions and cultural norms. Par of the legacy of slavery was to sever these Africans from any ties with their homeland. They were usually taken away from those who spoke the same language as they did. They were given strange-sounding names and forced to adopt the religion of their masters. They are now Americans. But they have had a hard time, as have other minority races and ethnic groups, in being accepted in their new homeland. They have been forced to fight for acceptance. They have been forced to look at African American History Month as an opportunity for other Americans to learn about the many achievements and contributions that people of African descent have made to world history and civilization. American history should not be Eurocentric, Afrocentric or any other "centric" hyphenation. It should be about all the people in this country. It should validate all of us as human beings whose ancestors have made some notable contributions to humankind. It is not fair

nor right to make those children who are of African, Asian, Central or South American, Middle Eastern, Native American descent feel inferior because some history writers have skewed the truth. In this context, African American History Month is nothing more than an attempt to begin the curative and restorative process in American history. It seeks to give credit and recognition to the achievements of American blacks. But we should never lose sight that the Tiltimate goal should be American history that is inclusive because it embraces the achievements and contributions of all Americans, not just those who make today's Eurocentric majority. That day is yet to come. Until then, we shall strive to make African American history (and the history of other underserved and underreported minorities) a year-round event, instead of one that is confined to one month (February). That is our challenge this year and in the coming years. American Black History