The question is whether or not we need or should continue to celebrate black history month. Maybe the question isn’t whether or not we should have a black history month as commemorating or honoring someone good for just a month but instead celebrate them every day like mothers or father’s day. Shouldn’t that be celebrated every day? Do we really need a day dedicated to it? I say the obvious, yes, simply because I can’t even remember to celebrate my own birthday.
If it wasn’t for a few of my really nostalgic friends who constantly question for the whole month, "what are we going to do for your birthday", well let’s just say nothing would get done. It might have the fact to do with what I really want for my birthday wish, is for my evil boss to be dragged through the streets naked by her hair, not to have taken psych as a major, oh, and world peace. Since these things aren’t going to happen while I’m alive, well the boss thing is a possibility. I will have to take the sweet homage or the honor of a gift, vacation package (wink, wink) cake or a party. So I guess that is why black history month is still celebrated to honor people, dead or alive. Just so they know they are not forgotten. Will it restore holes in the ozone layer or give us the world peace I’m looking for? No.
Today we can say we have made great strides and I’m grateful and I know people out there at least some people think black Americans are milking it. For those who say we are all equal now, let’s start acting like it. I still see a lot of shows staring solely black actors only played on certain networks. I see shows with a lot of white people and the token funny black guy or now it’s a funny Indian guy. I thought we were done with that already apparently not.
There are a lot more black celebrities on the cover of magazines of course they all look like Kate Moss. High cheek boned, thin lipped, stick figures. When they show a full figured woman, I know some of them are full figured because I have either stood next to them or my friends have eaten dinner with them. Well these full figured black women look mighty thin, with much lighter complexion and of course extremely airbrushed in the magazines. I still have people asking me why I don’t sound black on the phone. What am I supposed to sound like? Bubba Gump? They do know that there are black people from Scotland, Germany or Russia right? Then there’s James Earl Jones. He’s good enough to be the out of breath , Darth Vader but a lot of Americans were shocked to find out he was a black man, which of course was one of the main reasons he wasn’t used when the mask was removed.
The point is things still need some work. Little things like this are often overlooked. Everyone should be thankful black Americans are not relentless like the Jewish coalitions who made Volkswagen pay out of their nose for using and profiting from the forced sweat of their brow during world II. Do you know how many companies would feel the hurt if they had to pay retribution dollars not only to descendants of black slaves but also native American. So let’s leave greed out of this. Commemorating and honoring someone isn’t hurting anyone. It isn’t singling anyone out just yet. I mean when I’m ninety and you forget to celebrate me.
It’s all right, but for now it keeps me thankful and grateful and makes me want to strive to do something. So to all my friends, thank you for honoring me for one day. Even though I haven’t built or invented anything yet, do I still get cake?
