Why Hidden Black History Needs to Be Taught and Celebrated On A Daily Basis

Black History month is an annual holiday that celebrates Black and African-American pioneers, icons, and historical figures. I think we all know that black history should be celebrated all day every day. There is so much hidden black history that is blocked by the education system, and I had to learn my own history history outside of school. In this article, I will be showcasing hidden black history, and I will tell why Black History Month is on a daily basis.

During my fourteen years of education, I was always taught the same black pioneers every single year. This include Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Harriett Tubman, Mohammed Ali, and Jackie Robinson. The list never expanded past these historical figures. Even though I know that each school system is different, I relate to many teens around my age with the limitation of black history taught. If it is not black history taught, students learn so much about slavery. Due to the resurgence of black history, I get surprised learning something new everyday. Whenever I go on social media, especially Tiktok, I always learn about hidden black history. It makes me truly wonder why black history is often controlled by white historians.

Why do schools and teachers refuse to teach us about other black pioneers? This includes Malcolm X, Roberto Clemente, Claudette Colvin, Madam C.J. Walker, Lewis Latimer, and more.

Many people tend to believe that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. On the other hand, Lewis Latimer was a black inventor apart of creating the light bulb.

Malcolm X is one of the most influential figures during the Civil Rights movement. His charisma and intelligence would lead to his rise in the media. Malcolm X was a vocal spokesman for the National of Islam.

Claudette Colvin was actually the first black woman to refuse to give up her seat for a white person on the bus. Colvin’s story does not receive global media like Rosa Park’s story. Many people tend to believe that Colvin’s story was hidden from the textbook’s thanks to colorism.

Madam C.J. Walker invented hair products for Black and African-American woman. Her products helped women maintain their crown in a healthy and loving way. Walker became the first female self made million millionaire. #GOALS

Roberto Clemente was an Afro-latin baseball player known for playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He became the first Afro- Caribbean player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Furthermore, there are many hidden events hidden from us in historical textbooks. Did you know that Black Wall Street was one of the most prestigious African-American communities before its destruction.

Why do schools only want us to focus on Christopher Columbus, George Washington, and slavery besides Black History Month? Black History is so much greater than slavery and a man who abused Native American’s for pleasure.

Did you know that many pictures during the Civil Rights were actually in color? The first image that comes up when you Google Martin Luther King Jr. is in black and white. Textbooks are full of black and white images from this era due to the narrative being controlled. When students will see black and white pictures of someone, they will automatically think the picture is over 100 years old. Do you see the problem here? The Civil Rights era was not even 100 years ago.

Another hidden black history fact is within slavery. Slaves were treated like animals for over 400 years, yet people tell Black people to simply “get over it.” Slaves were treated way more harshly than what is showcased. Racism was so disgusting that black babies were fed to alligators as bait. Slave owners would snatches babies from their mothers while they were not looking. In addition, there were breeding farms during slavery. It sucks to say that slavery still has an impact in today’s world. Colorism and slavery still exists today, and it can only end with people opening their eyes.

Black history needs to be celebrated everyday not just for a month. So much history has been wiped away or hidden from today’s generation. Instead of schools trapping us in the generic Black History month lesson, we must learn our history that makes us who we are.