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Writer: Da'Zhane Johnson
The concept of Black History Month emerged back in 1926. Carter G. Woodson, the author of The Mis-education of the Negro, established “Negro History Week.” By 1976, the celebration became month long, highlighting the accomplishments of black culture. However, in many cities across the nation, the celebration aspect is quite slim. In fact, most cities don’t even host parades for its residents. This type of lack of celebration can cause damage to an individual’s psyche - the mind, soul, or spirit - without the individual even noticing.
Like many of you know, as a society, we are social learners. This means we acquire knowledge from all of our social settings, whether that setting is in the comfort of our home or on the playground at school. Of course, this constant pool of knowledge can alter our personal psychological being. For example, a social psychologist named Claude Steel found that just mentioning race to black college students lowered their test scores. This means that by checking off your identified race at the beginning of an exam can hinder your scores. On the contrary, “they performed on par and sometimes better than the White students” when their race was ignored. Steel gives us an important example that the division in identity can steer the mind to a stressful state. Isn’t it safe to say this occurs during Black History Month as well? Although the thought of honoring our culture for a month is riveting, it’s not our reality.
For the majority of black people, we live in white spaces. Every day our racial identity represents every aspect of our lives. This type of social pressure and stereotyping is why we celebrate Black History Month depending on who we are around. A celebration in Atlanta is culturally distinct compared to a celebration in Kansas City. Moreover, the effects of these social pressures and stereotypes can cause isolation “in the brain in the same way as the threat of physical harm.” Conclusively, we can disarm the right to cultural pride just by living and interacting in white spaces.
Although, identifying this change in behavior is the first step. Now we must adjust how we celebrate this month and modify how we can cognitively reiterate our psyche. Take the time to relearn black history this month! Relearning history will recreate a sense of pride, which will initiate your inner spirit.
Additionally, take this time to create your own history. By confronting your past and present injustices, you’ll be rebuilding a sense of confidence that our ancestors would be proud of.
Sources:
Laldin, Myra. The Psychology of Belonging (And Why It Matters). (2016). Learning & the Brain. https://www.learningandthebrain.com/blog/psychology-of-belonging/
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