Whose History?

In case you had forgotten, February is Black History Month. I have a couple friends on Facebook who are posting historical facts for each day, noting birth dates, death dates, bills passing, protests, etc. I am appreciating reading them and probably measuring myself by how familiar I am with the history they're revealing each day.

I believe that part of the anti-racism work white folks must do to bring reconciliation to the world involves becoming aware of the history of other people. I was thinking about that this morning, as I read those posts.

Here in the Heart of Dixie, and many other places, the primary racial dynamic in this country is still black/white. This is very frustrating for many people of hues somewhere in between. The number of brown people is growing, and they need a place in the dialogue. I recognize that.

And yet, I believe that because of our history of slavery, there is a special obligation to give attention to its impact on our society.

I was thinking about my conviction that it's important to know at least a little about other cultures' history and beliefs and values. It is. But the States is enveloping such a broad swath of histories these days, it would be a full-time job to keep track of it all. We should try nevertheless.

But for me, the month of February being Black History Month isn't really about learning someone else's history. It's about becoming more aware of the left-out portions of American history. Why would anyone want to be ignorant of the history of their own country? (Oh right, because ignorance is bliss.)

As more and more cultures continue to enrich our nation, learning "American" history will get even more complicated. But perhaps the first step is to learn the history we already have, the history that we've had since the beginning, though most of us have managed to ignore it for centuries.

Today, I am celebrating the birthday of Audre Lord. I'm not sure she made this up, but here is a quote I associate with her: "Silence is the voice of complicity."