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HISTORY OF PERSECUTION IN THE U.S

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The celebration of Black History Month will keep young adults informed of Black history in the US as schools start to ban the teaching of such topics. The debate of teaching critical race theory is being tackled in state legislatures. Discussions of CRT are crucial to understand the reasoning for President Ford’s creation of black history month, as topics discuss the history of racism and prejudice in the US. While 3 of 4 US citizens agree with the sentiment that CRT should be taught in schools, 18 states —as of January 2023— have enacted some amount of legislation limiting discussions of race in history classrooms.

The celebration of Black History Month will keep young adults informed of Black history in the US as schools start to ban the teaching of such topics. The debate of teaching critical race theory is being tackled in state legislatures. Discussions of CRT are crucial to understand the reasoning for President Ford’s creation of black history month, as topics discuss the history of racism and prejudice in the US. While 3 of 4 US citizens agree with the sentiment that CRT should be taught in schools, 18 states —as of January 2023— have enacted some amount of legislation limiting discussions of race in history classrooms.

Based on a 2019 Pew Research Center Poll, “More than eightin-ten black adults say the legacy of slavery affects the position of black people in America today”.

This statistic porves that a base level understanding of persecution must be formed to recognize historical persecution of African Americans in the U.S— something the celebration of Black History Month seeks to inform of. Since its existence in 1976, the dedicated month of African American histiory has achieved success in its purpose of informing historical persecution through use of campaigns. Just one campaign in specific is named “Inheritance: Black Life and American History”, run by The Atlanic. The project highlights stories of resilience of Black Americans through their suffrage. A multitude of personal stories are written within the page accounting firsthand events, providing a platform for others to listen and learn . Campaigns such as these are simply one example of how AfricanAmericans conttinue to share their personal experiences of persecution that would not have been provided without the platform of Black Hitsory Month.

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By celebrating Black History Month not only are you providing exposure and education to those less knowledgeable about African American history and persecution, you are also helping to push back racism that still exists today.

Systemic racism, an invisible form of racism culturally embedded into the institutions of the United States, still threatens many black opportunities and lives. The flawed criminal justice system, environmental injustice, and injust financial differences are clear indicators of this.

While slavery, federal segregation, and lynching has concluded, death of black minorities due to racism has not. According to PNAS, “Over the life course, about 1 in every 1,000 black men can expect to be killed by police.” design by Maya Dunkelman

The Black Lives Matter movement, popularized after the brutal murder of George Floyd, among suppressing white supremacy and racial injustice worldwide, values local power to combat the evils of racism. Use your voice to continue BLM’s statement!

Black History Month serves as a yearly reminder to shine light on systemic racism. By celebrating — sharing the statistics, promoting black individuals and movements, and educating yourself— America becomes one step closer to pushing back.

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Magazine: Black History Month Edition