Is Black History Month Racist?

Last week, my dad and I had a discussion about Black History Month. Since it is Black History Month and we have been discussing it in class, I was interested in what he had to say. Also, as a boy my dad grew up in Mississippi, meaning his response could be intriguing. Although he is not racist, racism is still prevelent in the south. I was curious if the way he was nurtured and the fact that he was surrounded by racism as a boy would impacted how he felt about Black History Month. I was somewhat suprised to hear his response when I asked him what he thought about the Month. He thought it was racist. Not because blacks got their own month, but because only the blacks got their own month. My dad responded that if whites designated a month as White History Month, it would be racist and raise a lot of protest. So why isn't black history month racist?

In my opinion, this is a very good point. Why do we only have Black History Month? Why isn't there an Asian History Month or a Jewish History Month or even a White History Month? Many people would argue that those months (especially a White History Month) would be racist; so then why isn't Black History Month racist? In my opinion I think Black History Month IS racist. I think it is very important to study the history and treatment of African Americans, but why should Febuary be designated as Black History Month?

So what should we do? Do you think we should remove the title of Black History Month from Febuary or should we keep it? I think that removing Black History Month would be seen as an act of racism against African Americans. This is why instead of calling to remove the title of Black History Month from the month of Febuary, I am merely trying to raise awareness. What do you think we should do?