Appreciating the need for Black History Month

Although history textbooks, movies and school assemblies are a great way to remind people about the accomplishments of African-Americans, they are not enough to fully educate students about the culture.

There are still so many things to learn about black history. Students should be able to learn more than what is currently taught about people like Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. Black history should also be recognized throughout the entire year, instead of just the month of February.

I believe it is necessary to focus on black history because many people fail to understand that appreciating one culture does not equate to excluding another. The lack of awareness is why historically black colleges and other programs that pertain to African-Americans exist.

So why is Black History Month so important? Well, students may find it easy to forget about those who paved the way for so many people today. Black History Month allows students of all ethnicities to take a moment to learn and appreciate the contributions of black America. The more educated we are, the better we are as people.

Every year, Lawrence Woodmere Academy (LWA) celebrates Martin Luther King Day Black History Month by gathering all the students into the school’s auditorium for both occasions. Songs such as “Abraham, Martin and John” sung by Veronica Vaynshteyn, and “We Were Born For This” sung by Gaby Irizarry, allowed the audience to appreciate MLK and black history.

Daniel McMenamin, who moderates LWA’s Black History Month assembly believes that “without black history, so many of the great inventions, stories and advancements would not exist and the status quo that existed would not have changed.”

Learning more about one another’s history allows the chance for a better understanding of different cultures and experiences, especially of those in close-knit communities such as LWA.