J.R. LeMar

MORGAN FREEMAN AND “BLACK HISTORY MONTH”

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Well, yesterday, February began, marking the beginning of the 43rd annual official “Black History Month” in America.

It also began the the 43rd annual official month where racist White guys complain about there not being a “White History Month.”

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I’m reminded of a story that my brother told me years ago. At a job he was working at, during February a White coworker asked him if this was “Black Appreciation Month”. We thought that was hilarious. We were like, yes, everyone, it’s Black Appreciation Month, so make sure you take the time to call up all your favorite Black person, and let them know how much you appreciate them. 🙂

I should also note that, despite what Morgan and that interviewer said, there IS a “Jewish Heritage Month” (MAY), but that’s not the point. I do take issue slightly with Morgan Freeman’s last response, where he said the way to stop racism is “stop talking about it.”

Sure, that sounds nice, but if we could really end racism by just ignoring it, we would have done it centuries ago. But the world just doesn’t work that way, and Freeman should know that. He is the one who took action back in 2008, when he paid for an integrated prom in the city of Charleston, Mississippi, which had been having two separate High School proms, one for White students and one for Black students since the days of Jim Crow. This practice had been continuing all these years, because that was “just the way things are.” Ignoring it didn’t change anything. It took someone, in this case, Morgan Freeman, actually stepping up and saying, hey, it’s 2008, why are y’all still segregating yourselves, to finally change things.

All of this is documented in the film PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI. Check it out, if you get the chance.

Other than that, I agree with Morgan Freeman. There is no longer a need for a separate month specifically to teach Black history. The accomplishments of Black Americans should not be shunted aside, as if we’re some foreign group. They should be taught alongside the rest of American history, year ’round. This is a point I realized on my own, a few years ago, when I saw a local news report about some Black History Month event at the Elementary school that I’d attended for 1st and 2nd grade. As they interviewed various teachers and students, I couldn’t help but notice that this school, which was majority-Black when I went there, appeared to now be majority-Hispanic. Times change.

I agree with the reasons why Black History Month was first implemented by Black Civil Rights activists, but the need is no longer there. It was a good idea at the time, but that time is passed.

Just my opinion.

12 comments

  2. I’m tired of under or uneducated black people persistently blaming white authority figures for deplorable living conditions, lack of education, and endless assertions that they are owed ..anything.
    First of all, everyone – even in ghettos – has a public school ready and waiting for willing (and unwilling) students to show up and be enlightened. In fact, it’s a big major law you break by NOT compelling your minor child to attend. If you’re uneducated – you faught like hell to stay that way. If learning were an imperative it would be treated as such. No value is placed (crap am I going to have to move this?? Febot Thanks Mr. J.R. “My Muse” Lamar…
    School is available, sneak in.
    Educate everyone, crime drops, living conditions improve.
    EVERYONE. ALL RACES have endured forced servitude or enslavement at some point in time or another and guess what?
    You ready?
    American explorers/colonists did NOT start black slavery. N o t. (They’d have let you in on that in school)
    Warring African tribes would enslave survivors of encounters, they became a stop on our trade route from europe to america. The Tribal Chiefs traded thier captive enemies for european goods. Fin.
    There it is. The white men were opportunistic assholes, not sadistic people hunters. They capitolized on a practice akready happening in Africa by Africans.
    Whites didn’t enslave blacks, they traded sheep and wheat etc for conquered tribesmen. The suck, yes. Our fault it started, no – find a bridge and get over it.

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    • @eggstacee I saw this this morning, after it inadvertently got sent to my Spam filter, and I had to approve it. I was in hurry to get to work and didn’t have time to respond. Now that I’m back home, I was going to attempt to address your points one by one, complete with links to articles and studies that show things like the legacy of slavery and systematic segregation in history as well as in the modern era, where it is proven that race is still a factor (& how things like just having a “Black name” can limit your opportunities) but then I realized that I don’t really care that much what you think. Suffice to say, if THIS is your attitude towards Black people and the issue of race in America, then we are clearly not meant to be friends, and adding you on my various social media networks was a mistake..

      So, BYE.

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  3. Right, J.R. wrote about ending Black History Month, a largely symbolic event anyway. I don’t know what that crazy rant about Black people and slavery was for. And it’s so rediculous I barely feel like even addressing it, trying to diminish the implact of Black slavery in America, And the comment about public schools in the Ghetto? Please! As if public schools in poor neighborhoods get the same resources as those in better schools.

    Frankly, I’m sick of ignorant White people talking about things they don’t know anything about.

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