The color of our skin is as sweet as berries; from the lightest to the darkest. Black History Month is the month of empowering our brothers and sisters to embrace themselves for who they are. It is the month of educating others about “black culture,” all the way from our hair to the jazz that falls out of our mouth.  For me, this is the most important month because every African American can express who they are and not be ashamed of what and where they came from. I believe that everyone should know about black history because it will give each person a chance to see why African Americans strive to be better, and they’ll learn about all that our ancestors had to endure so we could be free.

As a black female, I had to learn how to embrace my hair and my culture. I always thought having straight hair was the best, but then when I learned more, I began to love my curly, coiled hair.  When I was younger, I was even bullied for simply being black – from the way I was shaped to having a “big butt.” Going through that was heart-breaking; I used to go home and tell my parents, and they would always comfort me and tell me, “Taliesha, sooner or later you’re gonna have to embrace who you are and love who you are.” Still to this day, those words always run through my mind. Now, since I’ve learned to love myself for who I am, nobody can try to throw rocks at me and bring me down. I now possess confidence, high self-esteem and a love for myself. Just because I am black does not mean I am lower than any other culture out here in the world. We as Black men and woman have to know that we are kings and queens. Black History Month helps lift me up and helps me realize that we are the history.

Mallory Iszard

“Black History Month is celebrating equal rights,” Iszard said. “All the symbols represent the whole month and all the people in it. I think that all the colors are just a way of expressing what it means to me.”

With it being Black History Month, I’ve been thinking about the stereotypes that African Americans are labeled with and how we as African American people are perceived. But instead of talking about the stereotypes we have to deal with, I thought I’d  talk about how I view myself as an African American woman and how my roots have shaped who I am today.

I am bold

I am strong

I am dancing to the beat of my own theme song

I am the epitome of reality

I am not to blame for the world’s wrongs

I am young but not completely free

I am rejecting the shackles that society would like to place on me

I am a speaker, a thinker, a writer, a dreamer

I am a daughter and future mother of invention

I am my ancestors’ souls ascension

I am a rising star

I am the product of toils, trials, and scars

I am a soldier and a survivor

I am a future striver

I am many things to many

I am more than the sum of my parts

I am a mind, a spirit, a body, a heart

I am completely individual

I am not filled with any hatred, present or residual

I am life

I am beauty

I am a woman

I am me

It’s time to get rid of Black History Month.

I know how that sounds. “Why would we ever want to get rid of Black History Month? Don’t you want to celebrate the triumphs and beauty of your culture?” Of course I do. Which is exactly why we need to put an end to Black History Month.

Why do we have to wait for one month in the year to celebrate Black History? This only defines the differences between races. Why can’t we learn about Malcolm X every other day of the year? What about Rosa Parks? Or the more unsung heroes of the civil rights movement – like Pauli Murray, or Ella Baker? The truth is, designating a month to an entire culture is segregationist. Why shouldn’t we celebrate all who contributed to society, regardless of race, sex, or religion?

This isn’t just exclusive to black history. We shouldn’t have to wait for Hispanic Heritage Month to celebrate Joan Baez, or Cesar Chavez. Nor should we have to wait for Women’s History Month to celebrate Amelia Earhart or Helen Keller. These months only serve to segregate us further as a society.

Being a black female, this is a problem that resonates with me personally. My culture’s history should not be shrunk down to 28 or 29 days of the year. Black history is American history. Why must we draw these lines between people of color and the rest of society? There’s no such thing as “White History Month,” because that would be silly, right? By designating February as Black History Month, we are insinuating that Black History isn’t really American history.

In the 1970’s, my grandfather joined the Black Panthers. He fought for equality and supported black power. This movement struck change in society. My grandfather did not fight every day for two years for his history to be erased by one month.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe it’s a great idea to celebrate black culture. After all, our road to justice is a long and hard one, and I don’t mean to say that no one should enjoy our rich history. Black History should be celebrated year round –  not confined to one month. If we really want to live in a “color blind” society, we must learn how to banish holidays like these that only separate all of us even more.