1 Colleen Dente October 31, 2013 COMM 301-01 Debate Speech Text: Negative Position Affirmative Position: Black

History Month should no longer be observed Negative Position: Status quo with some changes In the early 1900s, a young black man named Carter G. Woodson found his lifes calling. Having received no formal education until the age of twenty but pushed by his formerlyenslaved parents belief that knowledge would free him, Woodson eventually went to Harvard for his PhD in history. There, at the nations premier educational establishment, he was taught that Negroes have no history of their own. Woodson recognized the false nature of this statement and, understanding that it represented a systemic problem, decided to spend his life as an historian and cataloguer of black history. In 1925, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro [now African American] Life & History which collected and systematized artifacts of black life in America, noting, [the contributions of black Americans] were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them Race prejudice is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind." Wanting to extend his reach, Woodson began Black History Week during February to coincide with birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, of which the nation already had some awareness and appreciation. The purpose of Black History Week was twofold: raising general awareness of the contributions of blacks to American society; and to see textbooks eventually rewritten with a more balanced account of events through history to reverse the trend of learned racism. Woodson expressed a desire for Black History Week to eventually become irrelevant after first becoming redundant. During the countrys bicentennial celebration, President Ford expanded Black History Week to a full month, saying, The last quarter-century has finally witnessed significant strides in the full integration of black people into every area of national life. We can

2 take satisfaction from this recent progress But, even more than this, we can seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history. Despite Woodson and Fords intentions, black history as taught today is framed largely by slave narratives that is, events beginning with slavery and concluding with Civil Rights. The recent film The Butler (2013) derives its drama and appeal from a person whose life (albeit remarkable) was bracketed by the twin events of slavery and the election of President Obama. Though well intentioned (and history necessitates their inclusion) these elements hardly represent black history as a whole, nor do they adequately introduce the many contributions of people who built the nation while forced to do so as slaves. (For example, few are aware that slaves built with expert craftsmanship the White House and the Capitol Building. They were only credited for this achievement in 2012.) Woodson foresaw the need to celebrate the full spectrum of history without only picking the highlights for inclusion. Many people criticize Black History Month for its perceived elevation of black culture and experiences over everyone else. Is this sort of celebration still needed today, and could it, in fact, be counted as discrimination against white people or other ethnic groups? No because discrimination is the unjust [emphasis mine] treatment of different categories or things; pointing out and celebrating the existence of black Americans to rightfully acknowledge them for their achievements does not fit that description. Celebration is exclusive by nature. For example, we celebrate birthdays not to belittle others whose birthday it isnt, but as a reminder to pause and appreciate those whose special day it is. No one exclaims, Get rid of birthdays! They only promote ageism. We need to become a post-birthday society where all people are celebrated equally! The act of celebrating does not take away from those who are excluded, as long as the exclusion is temporary and others are eventually celebrated in an equal manner at some point.

3 Perhaps in an ideal world the desire to single out groups would no longer exist; perhaps no longer would we find it necessary or enjoyable. However, because were human and tend toward self-interest, the presence of an special event on the calendar can pierce through the haze of our busyness as a reminder that history is not white-normative and should not be assumed as such. Many object to Black History Month by quipping, But thats just reverse racism! A racist is someone who believes that a particular race is superior [emphasis mine]. Black History Month does not promote the idea of black superiority; just that blacks contributed equally and should therefore receive proportional historical representation in the retellings (which is actually a profoundly American ideal.) Some claim that we have reached a point where racism is fading fast and we now live in a color-blind society where race simply doesnt factor meaningfully into decisions we make about one another. This is problematic for two reasons. First, it does not acknowledge that there are many aspects of American society wherein racism is still present (if not rampant) and therefore alienates those who do experience racism on a daily basis. Second, refusal to see color is refusal to see culture; that is, by claiming to be color blind, a person is actually denying reality. Denial of a persons historical cultural identity is not equality; it is delusion. Culturally, we dont condone racism. But as Dr. Woodson pointed out, the absence of historical narratives with which we can challenge racist mindsets (derived from the logical belief that black people havent contributed to society) only adds to the problem. Black History Month was never meant to be a permanent fixture. Because Black History Month has essentially fulfilled its first purpose (awareness), I propose that the ASALH now focus on its second objective: education reform. Equal cultural representation among textbook contributors and editors, for example, would be a good place to start. Not only is our education system currently unprepared to redeem these narratives, but expecting it to do so prematurely would negate much of the progress that has been made thus far. Continuing Black History Month while actively building a stronger, permanent solution would ease the transition while

4 also serving to garner public support for it. Additionally, lobbying for the creation of a group that oversees preservation of historical records would be a worthwhile goal. Because Black History Month is so heavily represented (having been around for nearly 100 years and being initiated by someone from within the cultural group), this group plus the ASALH could serve as consultants to benchmark other ethnic groups historical archives. Finally, Black History Month itself need not disappear, but refocus instead on heritage celebrations. Having demonstrated that Black History Month is not discriminatory (as long as it works towards a permanent, long-term solution for the way people are educated about the achievements of black Americans), it should be continued with a renewed focus. Rather than insisting skin color doesnt matter, we should acknowledge the spectrum and strive to find balance; Black History Month helps this process and losing it would harm more than it would help.

Cross-examination Questions for Affirmative: 1. Would you admit that black people have been especially oppressed in America, but during that time also contributed in an extraordinary way to American culture (in an active sense, not just though sacrifice, forced or otherwise). 2. You heavily quoted MLK, Jr. in your speech, but he is an example of a civil rights figure who is often held up (some would say encouraging hero worship), perhaps at th e expense of others who deserve recognition as well. Your use of him as your example sort of proves my point that we need to move beyond the usual 3. You said that BHM has served its purpose; can you define your perceived purpose of BHM? 4. You are proposing for a broad human rights celebration month, but December is actually Universal Human Rights month; is this insufficient in your eyes? 5. Rather than seeing the past as flawed and running from it, shouldnt we strive to accept and truly integrate, which includes white people accepting and no longer being defensive for the sins of the past?

5 References Black History Month. (2006, February 10). Issues & controversies on file. Retrieved October 29 2013, from Issues & Controversies database. http://www.2facts.com.ezproxy.messiah.edu/icof_story.aspx?PIN=i1100060 Brown, Korey Bowers. Carter G. Woodson. (2012). Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Retrieved October 29, 2013. http://asalh.org/woodsonbiosketch.html Coard, Michael. Why its time to abolish Black History Month. (2012, February 20). Philadelphia. Retrieved October 30, 2013. http://www.phillymag.com/news/2012/02/20/time-abolish-black-history-month/ Cooke, Charles C. W. Against Black History Month. (2013, February 4). National Review Online. Retrieved October 31, 2013. http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/339649/against-black-history-month-charlesc-w-cooke Eyring, T. (2013). The Trouble with February. American Theatre, 30(2), 8. Retrieved October 29, 2013. http://ezproxy.messiah.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=t rue&db=hlh&AN=84916936&site=ehost-live Haney, Alissa. The History of Black History. (2007). Infoplease. Retrieved October 30, 3013. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmintro1.html Hirsch, Afua. Black History Month has to be more than hero worship. (2010, September 30). The Guardian. Retrieved October 31, 2013. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/oct/01/black-history-month-heroworship

6 Online debate. Should We Celebrate Black History Month? Debate.org. Retrieved October 30, 2013. http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-we-celebrate-black-history-month President Gerald R. Ford's Message on the Observance of Black History Month. (2002, February 1). Gerald R. Ford presidential library & museum. Retrieved October 30, 2013. http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/760074.htm Watson, Elwood. Black History Month: The Debate Rages On. (2013, February 21). Retrieved October 29, 2013. http://diverseeducation.com/article/51484/#