Its black history month, but who really cares?

February 2010
February 1st through the 28th, 28 days that America has set aside since 1926, in honor of one group of people. An entire month dedicated to the downfalls and triumphs of a cultures finest. Time devoted to meditation and reflection upon the outstanding accomplishments of African Americans. But, do we really cares? Most of us are well aware that February is Black History Month. But many people seem to forget the significance of the various contributions that African Americans have made throughout the history of the United States, even during the month set aside for that purpose, During the Civil Rights Movement, race was issue surrounded by controversy and placed under constant debate. It was almost always in the forefront of the minds of American citizens. During this time, great abolitionists and civil rights activists worked hard to re-shape our nation into a land of equality, and many were successful in their ventures. But, unfortunately as time has passed and new history has been made, the hard work and dedication of these people is slowly beginning to disappear from the minds of Americans. Today, race rarely crosses the mind of a typical teenager regardless of their race. Its just not an issue that we are faced with everyday. And sadly, its not even on our minds during African American History Month. The issue of race is rarely brought to our attention, until something is either done or said that causes controversy. For example, the comment made by MSNBCs Chris Matthews at President Barack Obamas State of the Union Address on January 27, was yet another reminder of the impact one comment can have. Incidents like this spark heated debates, and reminds us once again that race is a very relevant topic in todays society. But, unfortunately, this incident will soon fade away, and race will yet again become an unimportant issue to us. The bottom line is that race has a greater impact on adults than on us, even during African American History Month. We acknowledge African American History, but also have more of a tendency to let it slip our minds. It probably has something to do with the fact that older adults were more directly involved in the civil rights struggles of the 60s. Were more than 40 years behind, so it may not seem as urgent to us. Dont get us wrong; race is still there. We just dont tend to focus on it as much as adults No matter how much of an impact race has had on your life, it is our view that you should still take the time out to remember the tremendous achievements of the African Americans before us, They have left there mark in history, and shall forever be in our hearts.