Feb 26, 2024 4 min read

By Aujalae Lyle

First-place cyberschool essay

Black history should be respected all year round. How come one of humanity’s most pressing issues receives a month, let alone the shortest? Slavery began in 1619, in 1865, the 13th Amendment abolished it. That’s over 400 years that my people have suffered. In 1962, Black History Month originally began as “Negro History Week” by Carter G. Woodson. What started off as a week became a month-long celebration in 1976. With a stop to slavery and a month to celebrate us, racism didn’t stop at either of those points. Will it ever? That’s a concerning question, does it make you ponder? Does it make you wonder what the world would be like without it? Or do you not bat an eye since it doesn’t affect you? Are you an ally? What does it mean to be an ally?

Ally is a verb; you must stand loyal to an oppressed group with your actions. Words will not help, they’re not always heard, sometimes they don’t want to be heard. So take the next sense and let them see it. In 1955, Ella Fitzgerald was a woman who was discriminated against for her weight and her skin color. Because of this, she was not allowed to perform in Hollywood’s most popular nightclub. Marilyn Monroe took it upon herself to lobby the nightclub’s owner, allowing Ella to open her engagement at the Mocambo nightclub in Hollywood. You can make a change and stand loyal to the ones in need. Ally is a verb. It is not just a title.

Why must my history be regulated to a singular month? In an interview with Morgan Freeman and Mike Wallace, Morgan was asked what he thinks of Black History Month. He finds it ridiculous. “You’re gonna regulate my history for a month?” he would respond when asked why. “What month is [insert your ethnicity]’s month?” Morgan asked Mike. He said none. He asked him if he wanted one, he said no, Morgan says he doesn’t want a Black History Month either. Black history is American history, rightfully so. Mike asked how to stop racism, in response he was told to stop talking about it. “I’ll stop referring to you as a white man, and you stop referring to me as a Black man. Therefore, I’ll know you as Mike Wallace and you’ll know me as Morgan Freeman,” Morgan told him.

How come the first thing we notice about someone is the color of their skin? And why do we refer to someone as their color? Is that what defines us? Learn someone’s name, or study their broad features, their hair color, the clothes they wear, how they stand, their mannerisms, their body language. We are all more than a simple shade of our skin, that shouldn’t make us any different from one another. We all bleed the same color. Black history should be respected all year round. Ally is a verb, and my history should not have its separate month. We talk about white history every single day, but let’s not mention that Black history isn’t talked about in American History but reading class instead. We are not of value to be part of the U.S. educational curriculum.

Black people are also neglected in healthcare; we are at increased risk for a variety of health conditions due to societal factors like affordable housing, income, nutrition options and education. The refusal to serve us leads us to fall into unfortunate circumstances that are now stereotypes for us. Black people deserve to be treated the same as anyone else, our health is just as important. We could all come together to put an end to our oppression, but we need your help.

Aujalae Lyle is a junior at Washington Cyber.