Why it isn’t racist to say that only people who are black get to decide whether or not black history month is appropriate.
People of colour, including but not limited to black people, have been oppressed throughout history in the western world by white people.
Oppressed peoples are the experts of their own oppression, their history, and how they want to celebrate that history and fight that oppression.
When talking about oppression, the most valid viewpoint is that of the oppressed. A white person is not oppressed, a black person is. Therefore, a ‘black perspective’ is more valuable than a ‘white perspective’ in this instance. It’s not racist because racism is about privilege and power. Historically and currently, white people have more power than black people do: it is institutional. White people are not the victims of hate crime, discrimination, lack of justice, and negativity in the same way that black people are.
As white people, we need to recognise that we live in a society that oppresses people of colour, and to do everything we can in conjunction with people of colour to end this oppression. This means recognising our privilege and trying to create a world where it is shared out.
Black History Month is considered by some people as a joke because it relegates a rich and relevant history to one part of the year, when it ought to be taught all the time everywhere. This is a valid concern, but until that happens, Black History Month is a time that people can celebrate, learn and discover Black History. It would be marvellous is every month was Black History Month, and Women’s History Month and Gender and Sexual Minority(LGBTQA+) History Month, as well as all and any other oppressed people’s groups.
As I said in a previous post, at my university Black History Month was organised by the Afro-Caribbean Society. It was their month, and they celebrated it how they wanted. That’s the point: Black History Month is about people of colour. Not about white people and how they feel about it.
