February is Black History Month. Depending on your viewpoint, it is either an occasion to celebrate the contributions of African-Americans to our nation — or a stinging reminder that such contributions are ignored the other 11 months of the year.
Being the glass-half-full sort, we prefer the former interpretation — but grant that the latter is often true.
This year, the theme of Black History Month is black women in American culture and history. To succeed, they had to overcome the double whammy of racism and sexism.
Black women made their mark on Syracuse and Central New York history. Two 19th century examples: Sarah Loguen was the first black woman to graduate from the Syracuse College of Medicine. Harriet Tubman, who eventually settled in Auburn, conducted slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
Black history is inextricably bound to the pain and injustice of slavery — whose consequences reverberate 150 years after a Civil War was fought over it, 50 years after civil rights were won in Congress and in the courts, and a little over three years after our first black president won the White House.
“The foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity,” President Ronald Reagan wrote in a 1986 proclamation.
The struggle goes on — every month of the year.