Black people’s contributions are a part of the USA’s DNA.
Tell the truth — admit it — the history of the United States is brutal. Our country’s origins are not pretty. The land we occupy, the laws we abide by, the wealth this country enjoys are all legacies of a violent and horrific past that cannot be denied or glossed over. Let’s face it — The United States has done some crazy things akin to the atrocities of South African apartheid and Nazi Germany. For example, Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, found that:
German eugenicists were in continuing dialogue with American eugenicists. Books by American eugenicists were big sellers in Germany in the years leading up to the Third Reich. And then, of course, the Nazis needed no one to teach them how to hate…they sent researchers to study America’s Jim Crow laws. They actually sent researchers to America to study how Americans had subjugated African Americans…And they actually debated and consulted American law as they were devising the Nuremberg Laws. (Gross, 2020)
And when you learn about these atrocities — one after the other — it is painful, which keeps people from talking about or even thinking about them. Yet, we know, as Maya Angelou said, “History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again (Times, 1993).” And what’s more, acknowledgment of past and present wrongs isn’t enough; there must be atonement. Only then can we “repair the damage created by centuries of racial injustice (Hannah-Jones et al., 2021, p. 282).” That is:
we must commit to a new era of truth and justice, one in which we honestly confront our past so that we can understand what remedies are needed to achieve healthy communities and justice for people who have been unfairly excluded and targeted. (Hannah-Jones et al., 2021, p. 282)
Here is one truth we can start with Black history is American history! Every contribution made to this country by African Americans is part of our country’s DNA. Another truth is that many injustices concerning Black people’s health and wellness in the United States have been committed, such as the Tuskegee Experiment and forced sterilization. However, there are also many triumphs — for example, the establishment of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a medical focus. HBCU medical programs provide opportunities for people of color, individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, and others, regardless of race or ethnicity, to receive excellent education and training in the health sciences and conduct research that fosters the elimination of health disparities (i.e., Meharry Medical College).
February is Black History Month. And though we should all learn about the historical contributions of African Americans all year long, I am always happy to highlight the actions of African Americans during this month as well. The 2022 Black History theme is Black Health and Wellness. “This theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing…[about what] it considers activities, rituals, and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well (ASALH®, 2022).”
You can read more about this year’s theme at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH®). You can also visit the CDE Foundation to learn more about health and wellness issues related to Black students. Happy thought-provoking learning.
References
Gross, T. (2020, August 4). It’s More Than Racism: Isabel Wilkerson Explains America’s ‘Caste’System. NPR. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/898574852.
Hannah-Jones, N., Magazine, T. N. Y. T., Roper, C., Silverman, I., & Silverstein, J. (2021). The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. One World
Times, T. N. Y. (1993, January 21). THE INAUGURATION; Maya Angelou: “On the Pulse of Morning.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/21/us/the-inauguration-maya-angelou-on-the-pulse-of-morning.html
