OPINION:
For me, the conclusion of Black History Month is bittersweet. This is because the meaning of Black history continues to be trampled and gets worse each year. What we have witnessed in the past few weeks is simply more organizations using a nationally recognized month to advance ideologies that are in direct conflict with that month’s true spirit.
While I should be thinking of words like “celebration,” “uplifting” and “inspiration,” what comes to mind instead are “Jim Crow,” “conformity” and “hypocrisy.” In Florida, African Americans are asked to embrace, as part of the month, the teaching of “queer theories” and Black Lives Matter concepts. In Missouri, drag-queen shows are used to celebrate Black history under the guise of inclusion and diversity — with no public outrage from African-American leaders.
This month is supposed to celebrate advancements based on content and character, not race. Yet during the Super Bowl the question of why there were only two Black quarterbacks came up time and again. Then there was the “Black national anthem.” The NFL has never had a separate national anthem sung for Native Americans or any other group, so why do African Americans have a separate anthem? I thought “separate but equal” was Jim Crow law. This is clear hypocrisy and we embraced it.
The increasing number of major U.S. cities being managed by African Americans should be cause for celebration, but these leaders continually fail to remove the race-based policies that cause harm. Public school education in the inner cities remains an embarrassment. Recently Baltimore City schools tested math skills — and not a single student in 2,000 achieved a passing score. The increased number of TV shows with African-American writers and producers seem required to include derogatory words describing African-American characters. What is worth celebrating?
Black History Month should be a time to refocus and advance a single mission that benefits everybody and raises expectations of excellence. We must stop lowering the bar and in the name of “inclusion.”
GREG RALEIGH
Washington, D.C.
