February is black history month, a month for the recognition and remembrance of African Americans and a month that is ultimately unnecessary in today's world. While the original intent was both pure and crucial it seems that recently it has begun to be irrelevant and outdated. originally formed in 1926 with the purpose of educating people of all backgrounds of the often times overlooked accomplishments and history of African-Americans. The rememberance was begun by Carter Woodson and was only a week, but incredibly important during that time because of fervent racism leaving blacks almost completely out of history lessons.
However today, where slavery, racism, and the plight of these outstanding African-Americans is taught heavily and remembered daily, a month isn't truly needed. I don't notice more of an emphasis on African-American history during February more so than any other time of the year, and have never really felt like I was missing out on learning any of the accomplishments of these inspirational people. Ever since Elementary School students have been taught names like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Rosa Parks, and in high school we learn new ones like Percy Julian and William Tucker. By singling out African Americans it has been a cause of controversy and raises the question of why other nationalities don't have a specific month of celebration, and the thing is that no one race should have one. America is, and always has been, a melting pot encompassing a plethora of ethnicities.
No race is more or less important, and the history of black people and the history of white people should not be separated because it doesn't belong to one or the other. Our history is just that: our history. Black, white, Asian, Cuban, and all the other ethnicities' histories are America's history. It is when we can see past our color and our boundaries and see ourselves as one whole nation and a united people that a month becomes pointless. Continuing this separation of history only hinders the togetherness we constantly work for, and it seems almost insane to separate ourselves from each other now when we continue to have so much history together.