Black History Month

I always love to celebrate this month with my students. It amazes me that so many children have no clue why we celebrate it....and many more think its not even necessary...they ask..."Where's white history month?" You may wonder that also...so here's my lecture. :)

"Guys...I'm going to tell you why I think it's ok...and RIGHT to celebrate Black History Month! Starting int he 1700s, Americans decided they needed help working their big plantations. Many of them started importing Africans in the "middle passage". The way they got the slaves is "hunting" them...just they way you hunt animals. They sought the biggest & strongest...just the way some of you want the biggest buck! They would chase them into the woods of Africa (usually the Congo because they produced the strongest/stockiest people...also...they are near the equator which is why a lot of the slaves had very dark skin as opposed to those of northern africa with light skin). They tore the africans from their families...leaving children, wives..parents behind. THEN...they shoved them on ships like the Amistad with hundreds of others. They had no room to move...once a week they were allowed to go to the bathroom. Can YOU wait for a whole week to go to the bathroom? Neither can I! They went to the bathroom on themselves (Oh yeah...they were naked too)...The urine & feces fell to those beneath them...many died of disease this way. They were also fed once a week. It took months to reach America...by then many had died of starvation also. Then...they arrived with their muscles atrophied...and beaten because they "weren't as strong" as they were in Africa.

Then they were put up on the blocks and sold like animals. You know that stock show we just had? You know how you had your animals stand so they showed their muscles just the right way? The people at the blocks did this with the Africans. Then they were sold to their slave owners. They worked for no money. They lived in poor conditions. If they tried to escape...they were beaten or killed...ads were placed in papers like a "lost dog" ad. The way they described them was..."long scar on back from a plow line"...etc.

Then...in 1865...slaves were set free (mostly everywhere)...but they had no money, no home, no clothes...some were worse off now! They persevered...but were never fully treated equally. They were hunted again by the Ku Klux Klan and other haters. We watched a civil rights video that showed how horribly Blacks were treated in the 60s...all of the people on the video were good people...doing nothing wrong...but they were hated.

Today, in Vernon, we have a black side of town, a hispanic side of town, and the white side.

Guys...its not over...and I'm GLAD to celebrate the history of people whose lives were forever changed in America. I WANT to know what happened & why! Don't forget!"

I had a journal question the other day "Why do we celebrate Black History Month? Do you think its right?" I"m shocked by the responses...
~"because they used to be slaves. To me its not important...I mean yeah, they were treated bad...but now they have way more priveleges than me" (as the student sits there with her coach bag and eyes rolling during my lecture)

~"because they were slaves. To me no..because I ain't black. Now they think they're something special"

~"Where's white history month? Most blacks think they're special...most are rude, they have it GREAT now...so why does it matter? We used to control them...now they control us" (how do they control us again?)

Then there are the good...

~"Because we treated them REALLY bad and they deserve a month dedicated to their history"

~Because blacks have been through a lot and deserve to be respected this way..."

~"Because they went through so much and they changed the ways for not only blacks but for EVERYONE!"

Eye opener!!!