We are now in February. What does that mean? Lots of things: Groundhog Day predicted we'd have a short winter (I hope so! lol), we've been inundated with endless Valentine's Day theme shows, specials, ads, and products said to be love-related, Presidents Day is right around the corner (what date is that again? lol I think the third Monday of the month, if I remember correctly), Carnival season and Mardi Gras is soon approaching (and will be bigger than ever this year...Go Saints! lol) and finally this is the 82nd anniversary of Black History Month.
Now, I have never been one to go around touting that it's Black History Month, and most people including myself forget about it since I am no longer in school. I'm on the fence on whether BHM is useful, and have always been. I believe it is important, as many and most people including African-Americans, wouldn't even have heard about the important people and events in the history of the African diaspora in what used to be and sometimes still is a Euro-centric curriculum. (It was conceived in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson as a corrective to the traditional teaching of American history.) In many schools it has become an important part of multicultural and anti racism programs and approaches, which is great. At the same time though, why separate it from the rest of American history? I may be being a bit cynical when I say this, but I think it undermines the fact that Black history is an important part of American history, and it seems like it has become something like a false token for Black ownership and is also subject to a lot of commercial hype. And some may even ask, is it necessary to have it now that we are in the 21st century?
People forget that a little over 50 years ago, blacks and whites could not even learn in the same classrooms. It's still fresh in our history. However, we as a nation thankfully have come SO far in those 50 years, which is why we (especially people around my age and younger) tend to forget about the struggles African-Americans suffered in the past. This past weekend I was reminded of one such struggle when a former Colorado state representative suggested that civics literacy tests, as a requirement for voting, might have prevented Barack Obama from being elected. Great idea, Mister. Instead of moving forward and bettering ourselves, let's go back in time and oppress people. Because of his statements, I decided to look up the process of voter registration and voting during the time when literacy tests were implemented. I've always known that literacy tests were difficult and not actually LITERACY tests, and were used to disenfranchise African-Americans, but I never really knew what the whole process consisted of until now. Here's what I found.
Up until 1965, there was an entire complex system in the South (and some Western states) devoted to denying African-Americans (and in some regions Latinos) the right to vote. Let's say you were an African-American living in Alabama and you wanted to vote, you would have to go on down to the courthouse to register. If you were lucky enough to withstand intimidation and harassment, avoid arrests on false charges, and not fear retaliation such as evictions, firings and boycotts, then you'd be granted the registration process. At that time you'd fill out a state-wide implemented 4-page application and recite an oath, which was designed to intimidate and threaten. You had to swear that every single question you answered was true under penalty of perjury, and you'd be told that everything you put on the form would be passed onto the White Citizens' Council and the KKK. And in many counties you also had to have a previously registered voter to "vouch" for you. THEN, about 10 days later, you'd have to come back and take a "literacy test" where you had to score 90% or better in 25 minutes. A typical test had three parts. In Part A, you had to read out loud part of the Constitution, pronounce everything correctly, orally interpret it, and then write it down from dictation as the registrar spoke (mumbled) it. In Parts B and C, you would have to answer two different sets of four written questions each. Part "B" was 4 questions based on the excerpt you had read. Part "C" consisted of 4 "general knowledge" questions about state and national government. (In some documented cases, people have also been asked to guess how many beans were in a jar.) After all of that, even if you were to pass everything with flying colors, the Board of Registrars would have to decide if you were "qualified" enough to vote. How discouraging is that? If only people were more aware of what African-Americans, women and other minorities had to go through in order to vote, there would be larger turnouts during elections. Here is a compilation of questions used for literacy tests in Alabama in 1965. Would you have passed?
http://www.ccle.fourh.umn.edu/literacy.pdf
In the end, 28 days of Black History is better than none. And instead of just boring us with a litany of names and dates like most students experience, I hope the celebration of this month continues to bring appreciation of what black history has meant for our nation in the past and what it continues to mean today.
Now, I have never been one to go around touting that it's Black History Month, and most people including myself forget about it since I am no longer in school. I'm on the fence on whether BHM is useful, and have always been. I believe it is important, as many and most people including African-Americans, wouldn't even have heard about the important people and events in the history of the African diaspora in what used to be and sometimes still is a Euro-centric curriculum. (It was conceived in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson as a corrective to the traditional teaching of American history.) In many schools it has become an important part of multicultural and anti racism programs and approaches, which is great. At the same time though, why separate it from the rest of American history? I may be being a bit cynical when I say this, but I think it undermines the fact that Black history is an important part of American history, and it seems like it has become something like a false token for Black ownership and is also subject to a lot of commercial hype. And some may even ask, is it necessary to have it now that we are in the 21st century?
People forget that a little over 50 years ago, blacks and whites could not even learn in the same classrooms. It's still fresh in our history. However, we as a nation thankfully have come SO far in those 50 years, which is why we (especially people around my age and younger) tend to forget about the struggles African-Americans suffered in the past. This past weekend I was reminded of one such struggle when a former Colorado state representative suggested that civics literacy tests, as a requirement for voting, might have prevented Barack Obama from being elected. Great idea, Mister. Instead of moving forward and bettering ourselves, let's go back in time and oppress people. Because of his statements, I decided to look up the process of voter registration and voting during the time when literacy tests were implemented. I've always known that literacy tests were difficult and not actually LITERACY tests, and were used to disenfranchise African-Americans, but I never really knew what the whole process consisted of until now. Here's what I found.
Up until 1965, there was an entire complex system in the South (and some Western states) devoted to denying African-Americans (and in some regions Latinos) the right to vote. Let's say you were an African-American living in Alabama and you wanted to vote, you would have to go on down to the courthouse to register. If you were lucky enough to withstand intimidation and harassment, avoid arrests on false charges, and not fear retaliation such as evictions, firings and boycotts, then you'd be granted the registration process. At that time you'd fill out a state-wide implemented 4-page application and recite an oath, which was designed to intimidate and threaten. You had to swear that every single question you answered was true under penalty of perjury, and you'd be told that everything you put on the form would be passed onto the White Citizens' Council and the KKK. And in many counties you also had to have a previously registered voter to "vouch" for you. THEN, about 10 days later, you'd have to come back and take a "literacy test" where you had to score 90% or better in 25 minutes. A typical test had three parts. In Part A, you had to read out loud part of the Constitution, pronounce everything correctly, orally interpret it, and then write it down from dictation as the registrar spoke (mumbled) it. In Parts B and C, you would have to answer two different sets of four written questions each. Part "B" was 4 questions based on the excerpt you had read. Part "C" consisted of 4 "general knowledge" questions about state and national government. (In some documented cases, people have also been asked to guess how many beans were in a jar.) After all of that, even if you were to pass everything with flying colors, the Board of Registrars would have to decide if you were "qualified" enough to vote. How discouraging is that? If only people were more aware of what African-Americans, women and other minorities had to go through in order to vote, there would be larger turnouts during elections. Here is a compilation of questions used for literacy tests in Alabama in 1965. Would you have passed?
http://www.ccle.fourh.umn.edu/literacy.pdf
In the end, 28 days of Black History is better than none. And instead of just boring us with a litany of names and dates like most students experience, I hope the celebration of this month continues to bring appreciation of what black history has meant for our nation in the past and what it continues to mean today.
Hey girl. Interesting post. I'm glad I can check here for a quick window into your life when I'm caught up in all this random busy-ness. Growing up in Venezuela we didn't exactly have Black History Month, but I did learn some things and I just wanted to throw out there that one of my favorite historical figures from America is George Washington Carver. I loved reading about him and my mom took us to the museum that's dedicated to him when we were kids so we could learn more about him. So there's my little shout out. I miss you and hope to catch up with you soon!
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