Opinion
February results: 5% Black, 0% History
By Terri Moise ’17
March 3, 2016
Tags opinion
Let me begin with a few facts. First, black history does not begin on February 1st, nor does it end on February 28th. Second, despite the dominant narrative taught in schools, black history does not begin after colonialism and is not centered on the legacy of slavery. Finally, black history is to be celebrated and acknowledged, not disregarded as institutions choose to do.
When the month of February began, I was hoping that Hamilton would make an effort to celebrate the achievements and contributions of people of African descent, even within the limited timespace of the allotted 29 days. The Black and Latino Student Union, the Rainbow Alliance and La Vanguardia were the only organizations that made an effort to discuss blackness outside of conventional conceptions. Yet, discussing Afro-Latinx identity, black LGBTQ+ figures and the significance of black inventions falls on ears that have heard this rhetoric before. And they continue to hear this rhetoric. Time and time again, the students who attend meetings and events for these cultural clubs, are in fact a part of these cultural communities. Non-ironically, there is no diversity because the majority students choose not to participate.
Thus, for a private, predominantly white institution like Hamilton, it comes as no surprise that there was no grand acknowledgement of Black History Month, even though our own Alexander Hamilton was from the Caribbean country of Nevis and there was speculation during his time that he was mixed-race.
Yet, what is the significance of Black History Month? Originally beginning as Negro History Week in 1926, the main point of Black History Month was to encourage the inclusion of the genuine history of black Americans and the history of the African continent as a whole. As the years passed, Black History Month has grown from a week to a month with a continuous and never-ending goal of challenging the dominant narrative. However, even with this goal, Black History Month was used as a tool of supremacists to pacify and reduce the impact and radical ideologies of commonly discussed black figures, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and Toni Morrison by limiting the celebration to one month of the year.
Even with this, black people have found a way to thrive. With the development and growth of social media, individuals have taken to teaching others about black history with a prominent example being the hashtag, #Bl-ackHistoryYouDidn’tLearnInS-chool. For black people, black history is a time of celebration and rejoicing as well as an act of remembrance for the lives lost for countless struggles and crusades. Black History Month is yet another month for black individuals to honor their blackness.
But, Black History Month does not solely exist for the betterment of black individuals. It is a form of representation that, in part, is meant to educate other races and ethnicities. It is meant to aid in the recognition of black individuals as more than bodies lying in the street. Yet, Hamilton College chooses not to explicitly celebrate this month. What does this lead to? Instead of students recognizing that their black peers are actually students with complex existences outside of their race, black students are more likely to hear, “Are you Posse or HEOP?” By not acknowledging Black History Month on an institutional level, Hamilton College ignores how black individuals have contributed to the college, whether willingly or unwillingly.
I, for one, know that Hamilton College can do a lot better in terms of recognizing Black History Month, on a student and institutional level. Cultural organizations make their best effort to educate and be inclusive of other groups, but we must recognize that students outside of these organizations will inevitably make their own choices. While some individuals continue to rap to A$AP Ferg in the privacy of their rooms, I thank those who recognize and celebrate blackness outside of the month of February. Remember, everyone wants to be black until it’s time to be black.