Through increased representation and education of Black history, many Americans for the last 100 years have celebrated Black History Month in this country under the belief that Black history is part of American history.
According to Rowan University senior Jayson Stockett, history is a subject that not only includes the history of the country but also the many different people that make it.
“You don’t learn American history without learning about Black history,” Stockett said.
According to junior Japhet John, as time goes on, he feels that the youth care less about Black history.
John believes that these youth no longer view the rights that were fought for them “as something joyful anymore.”
Black history is taught in many school curricula, though some schools touch on it more extensively than others.
According to Stockett, he asked his 8th-grade history teacher, Mr. Kilberger, if the class could learn about Black history.
“We didn’t. We never usually hear about Black history. We just hear it’s Black History Month.”
Many schools include activities and projects into their classes.
“I am researching a [project] on [George Washington Carver],” John said. “I feel like people can look up to him.”
Despite projects like this, according to Stockett, he feels students are mostly taught the negative events that happened in Black history.
“I feel as though we don’t learn about Black excellence,” said Stockett.
Stories about Black excellence also resonate with sophomore Sarai Spence.
In Spence’s opinion, Rosa Parks stands out to her as a woman because she inspires her, seeing that “there are people like her out there in the world who can make a difference.”
The lives and deaths of these revolutionary African Americans may not stand out to only Black people.
Students like junior David Issasi also admire Rosa Parks for standing up to the “oppressors of the time.”
Sophomore Gary Frick shares Issac’s sentiment.
“It’s important to remember the suffering that the African American community endured,” Frick said. “I don’t care if you’re African, Asian, Indian or Hispanic, I will still give you the shirt off my back because, in America, united we stand, divided we fall.”
Stockett believes that while Black history is also American history, it also encompasses even more parts, especially culture.
“I’m talking about music, jazz, rhythm and blues. I’m talking about soul and food,” Stockett said.
John spoke about an experience he had in school involving Black history.
John had the opportunity listen to a speaker talk about their experience living in the Jim Crow era of America.
“I got to experience first hand someone who went through it,” John said, ”and they came out on top. They were alive for that.” To John, it is people like this speaker who really stand out to him.
The people who “played a small role in it” are the people John especially admires.
“The famous march, the people who showed up,” John said, “they didn’t have to be peaceful about it.”
Martin Luther King was an activist widely known for his civil disobedience approach to the Civil Rights Movement.
According to Stockett, people with King’s approach don’t always succeed throughout history.
“Malcolm X is a man who had similar ideas to Martin Luther King, but Malcom was more stern,” Stockett said.
According to Stockett, Malcolm X believed that Black people were superior to white people when it came to physical ability, culture and were smarter.
“People say Malcolm used racism to counter racism. But it wasn’t racism, because at that time you couldn’t be racist if you were oppressed. It was more anti-opression,” Stockett said.
In John’s opinion, he sees fewer youth caring about Black history.
“The next generation will have to pick up where people left off, or else Black history won’t be significant anymore,” John said.