Lydia Glenn

News Editor

Lmg5921@psu.edu

Every February, the United States honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped to change the nation for the better.

According to NPR, “Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are an indelible part of our country’s history.” 

This year’s theme is Black Health and Wellness which pays tribute to all those who are medical scholars or in the healthcare field. 

The theme could not have come at a better time since the world is now entering the third year of the COVID-19 epidemic. COVID has disproportionately affected minority communities and has placed many unique burdens on black health care professionals. 

It is important to note that without African American history, there is no American History. This statement is something that Sara Clarke, the Executive Director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C., stands by. The Black experience is embedded in “everything we think of as ‘American History’,” Clarke stated. 

American History is nothing without African American History, and it is important to remember that not only in the month of February but also throughout the rest of the year.

Black History Month first started as Negro History Week. Carter G. Woodson who is the “father of Black History” first set out to designate a time to promote and educate people about Black History and culture in 1926. 

Woodson envisioned a weeklong celebration to encourage the coordinated teaching of Black History in public schools. His idea for a weeklong celebration, at the time, was a huge step forward for Black History. Since then, Black History Month has developed and takes Woodson’s ideas a step further by celebrating for a whole month. 

As Negro History Week turned into Black History Month, colleges and universities began to hold commemorations as part of the celebration. Kent State was one of the first to hold a commemoration for Black History Month. 

It is especially important to honor and recognize African American struggles because of the current political situation. 

Black history has recently been under attack by conservative lawmakers and voters. Critical race theory, or CRT, which is a curriculum that was created in the 1970s, has recently been a main topic in headlines. 

CRT is a conceptual framework and is one way to study how racism is ingrained into the United States’ legal system. This concept of learning how race intersects with the law in the U.S. was created to challenge the mainstream American approach to racial justice. 

Unfortunately, CRT along with Black History are under attack by several groups. The political atmosphere surrounding the U.S. makes it easy for critical thinking and critical theory to be opposed. 

As we are halfway through Black History month in the year 2022, it is important to see that the civil rights movement still faces challenges from a country that once saw African Americans to be equal to 3/5 of a human. 

With that, Penn State has coordinated a long list of events throughout February to honor and celebrate Black history.

At Penn State Behrend, the first event is on the 16 and is called the African American Inventors and Inventions Traveling Museum. This museum will be set up on Wednesday February 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Reed Wintergarden. The museum will display a unique collection of inventions, artifacts, and African Art. This traveling museum was invented by Clifton J. Brown as a way to showcase a variety of Black inventors and their creations. 

The other event hosted by Penn State Behrend is the “Kotchenga Dance Company.” This event also will take place on February 16 at noon in Bruno’s. The dance company will perform a free concert that includes traditional dance and drumming from Africa’s Ivory Coast. The company was founded by Vado Diomande who was raised in the stilt-dancing tradition of the Mahou people in the Ivory Coast. The performance is part of the Rhythms of Life Series which features music, dance and storytelling from all around the world. 

Other Penn State campuses, along with University Park, will also be hosting different events throughout the month of February. To see all the events at every different campus you can visit Penn State’s website. 

While Black History Month is held in February, it is important to celebrate and acknowledge Black history every other day of the year. Their struggles and their stories are what people need to hear. 

Lastly, and once again, “American history is nothing without Black History.”