By Madison Wilson, Contributing Writer
Black History Month is celebrated every February by millions across the United States of America.
One of the most important reasons to celebrate Black History Month is that it promotes diversity.
This speaks to the fact that we are all different, and all have something to contribute to our countries.
It also unites us. By celebrating diversity, we recognize the importance of learning about different cultures and people’s backgrounds, which shows us that we are more connected than separated.
When we celebrate Black History Month, we learn the vitality of our stories.
While some may celebrate Black history, others do not. This can be simply because they are not properly educated about the importance of Black History.
Some people feel like Black History Month should not just be a one-month celebration but an everyday celebration. This is prompted by the belief that black history is an everyday experience.
High school is at the root of these problems.
“It depends on the school, my high school did a decent job incorporating all race’s history, but that does not speak for every high school,” said Ethan Burke, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice.
While some schools successfully incorporate Black history, others did not incorporate it enough.
“African American culture was not taught enough towards me through all years of my education; the majority of my friends are African American, and they taught me the things I know today; the little things we did learn in school were quite quick and brushed over,” said Isabella Ruiz, a sophomore majoring in marketing.
The history of African Americans who have contributed to the foundational strength of the United States and the world at large is not taught enough in public school education, even here in Florida.
It has gotten to the point where Gov. Ron DeSantis feels the need to ban AP African American Studies in high schools.
“I didn’t know he wanted to ban AP African American studies, it is extremely ignorant on his part; history is history, and we cannot change that. It is important to learn all parts of history even if it is not from your own race,” said Ruiz.
While Black History Month can be taught in Florida, there has been a stop to a new Advanced Placement high school class on the topic.
“I think it is ridiculous and I believe he wants to continue to spew misinformation within the schools in order to preserve the feelings of the descendants of colonizers while neglecting the feelings of the descendants of the enslaved,” said Mobley.
This has caused many African Americans and American parents to be more determined to educate their children about Black History Month in the freedom of their homes.
However, there is still a strong movement in changing the direction of the new act.
There is a lot that can be done to better appreciate Black history and be more educated about it.
“To educate students better, the schools can be honest and acknowledge the wrong doings of the colonizers and enslaves while highlighting the accomplishments and inventions made by my ancestors,” said Mobley.
There must be an open-minded viewpoint to celebrating this historical part of African Americans’ lives.
“I wish they would have taught more about black inventions and pioneers because when I was in school all I heard about was slavery and picking cotton,” said Mobley.
Black History Month is just one of many celebrations that have memorialized and kept alive the strengths and accomplishments of people who have contributed to the development of countries all around the world.
Black History Month is a vital part of unity and diversity in the United States.
The colorful message of this unity is clearly stated within the first word of the country’s name — The “United” States of America.
