As I picked my son up from school, we started our usual conversation about what he learned. 

“We learned about Rosa Parks.”

“Oh really? And what did Rosa Parks do?”

“She got arrested because she wouldn’t get up.”

“Why would they arrest her for that?”

“Because she wasn’t listening.”

“Well, why would she need to get up?”

“Umm… because the driver told her to.”

I quickly saw how this lesson was going above the head of my 6-year-old. He’s a rule follower, so it was a pretty cut-and-dried situation for him. 

I’m sure his teacher explained it to him; but he didn’t completely register the rule of black people sitting on the back of the bus because that was never his reality. 

So, I took the opportunity to teach my son the grittier side of history. Racism, segregation, Jim Crow Laws, the Civil Rights Movement… some background so that he appreciates those who fought decades before him. 

You may not agree with the decision. I’ve heard opposers before. 

“My children are way too young. I don’t want them to lose their innocence knowing all of that.”

Then, ignorance will prevail. Not on my watch!

I refuse to be the mom who stands there embarrassed because her 10-year-old child yells out, “Mom, you didn’t tell me I was black!” (Yes, I have really witnessed that.)

Sadly, there is a whole generation of people who have no clue about the story behind blackface or the Confederacy. They don’t know about their history. They don’t care to know what their family members may have endured. They just shrug and say, “I think as black people, we should get over it.”

After the Great Depression in 1929, you think people didn’t thoroughly analyze the market to see what went wrong and make sure it didn’t happen again? Of course they did! How else would they improve future outcomes?

The same can be said about black history.

Knowing the past opens the door to the future.

Knowing black history is not about dwelling in the past. It’s about preserving culture, realizing how far we have come and preventing history from repeating itself. 

We are the epitome of perseverance. Children should be taught those same lessons because they need to know whose shoulders they are standing on. (FYI – You can’t rely solely on school to teach them about those pillars of history. Just like everything else pertaining to your child’s education, he or she needs to learn it at home as well.)

And for the record, black history is not only about slavery. Yes, it happened; and it’s not a topic to sweep under the rug. Let’s not overlook the many things to celebrate about the contributions of black people to the United States, though.

There are black inventors, scientists, entrepreneurs, entertainers and so many others who broke down barriers to live out their purpose. If that doesn’t inspire you to chase your own dreams, I don’t know what will.

So let’s celebrate black history. Black excellence. (I would have said “black girl magic”; but if you take off the “girl”, that’s demonic. No juju-oooh!)

You wouldn’t cancel International Woman’s Day by saying, “Hey! Men need to be celebrated too!” You wouldn’t overlook National Teachers Day by saying, “I don’t think it’s fair that you’re only recognizing them and not the entire staff.”

No, those groups are celebrated in their own right.

So, I expect the same for Black History Month. Happy Black History Month to you! May we learn more about the plight and success of African-Americans, and come together because of it—no matter what race you are.

This week’s podcast is about African-American “bests.” Topics will range from books to songs to the most impactful history lesson. This is going to be extremely hard to narrow down, but you’ll see my picks on Friday!