White History Month

Since we are 4 days into the month of February also known as Black History Month I thought I would address a lesser known "event" and that is White History Month. Didn't know it existed? Well maybe it doesn't really but it should! But it should be White History Month, not Anti-Black History Month. Said event should promote equality, not discrimination. And no. White History Month is NOT 11 months out of the year, American history is. The fact that 98% of this country's history was, founded, laid out and written by white US citizens DOES NOT make it "White History". Our history just happens to be laid out mostly by white, landowning males. That's just the way it is. Do our textbooks say George Washington was "the first white president of the United States"? No. Just because there are not many blacks in this country's long history, doesn't make it "White History". It just means blacks didn't step up to the plate until later. Like I said, it's not like we're there to stop them from making history with a "Whites Only" policy. If Black people get a history, then so should the White people.

So why don't we get a white history month or week? Or even a day for that matter? Call me crazy, but despite my pale complexion I do have a heritage and a history to be proud of, and I feel kinda bad to have to celebrate it alone. If we're all for equal rights, why can't every race have a holiday to celebrate its achievements?

This is actually a bit misleading of my true beliefs however. In reality, I don't want any race to be celebrated over any other, and the easiest way to do that is to not celebrate race at all. Oh, we should certainly all be proud of ourselves, for all of the traits and characteristics that make us who we are, but race is such a divisive and petty thing to use to differentiate ourselves. We didn't choose our race, we were born with it. It's like having an 'Impoverished Backgrounds' month, or a 'Born with a Silver Spoon in our Mouth' month (note: I'm not comparing any race with either of those financial analogies). Being proud of one's heritage is one thing, but I don't see the need to celebrate race.

So since my ideal world doesn't exist where one race is not celebrated over another, my question is still there unanswered. How come there is no official White History Month? In the words of a Tulane University Black History Month Web site, "a White History Month is not needed because the contributions of whites are already acknowledged by society. Black History Month is meant to remedy this inequity of representation."

Oh...I get it now...its a remedy. Oops my bad!