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Monday, February 19, 2007
Black History Month: Relevant Or Nonsense?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve always shied away from covering classroom events that seem to be just for show. So every year I struggle with whether to write about Black History Month. To me, many of the lessons that pop up this time of year simply don’t have much substance.
A few years ago, I wrote about a group of fifth-graders at Peachtree Elementary School in Gwinnett County who created a detailed black history exhibit for the school. It was an awesome display of hard work and contemplation. That was the last time I wrote about Black History Month.
Of course, the perennial question is: Why do we need a month devoted to black history?
Yesterday, my colleague, Andrea Jones, had a great story about a group of University of Georgia students lobbying to get a posthumous degree for Samuel F. Harris, who may have been the institution’s first black student, although he was never formally admitted.
Try answering that question about the necessity of Black History Month after you’ve read Andrea’s story.
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