I’m going to go ahead and say it. Just like our culture is appropriated, our contributions are fancied when it is convenient.
Made only to be highlighted in February, however, we’re utilized at every opportunity.
Just in case you need a reminder, WE built this country. From the literal architecture of buildings, schools, churches and universities.
From medical advancements, to include the Plasma transfusion, and the first successful heart surgery–WE built this country.
From the wars that we fought where we served on the front lines for 6 months resulting in 171 of the Tuskegee Airmen and Harlem Hell fighters receiving the Legion of Merit. (Patterson, 2017) — WE built this country.
[caption id="attachment_5188" align="alignright" width="355"]
The Tuskegee Airmen[/caption]
From the technology that created the first color PC by Mark E. Dean to the leading ventures of the fax machine, touch tone telephone and the caller id, (Mentalfloss, 2018) — WE built this country.
We could go on and on about what we have done, and also what we were made to do for this country. A country that has in most public school systems limited us to a couple of pages in their history books.
The shortest month in a calendar year. A couple of cultural slides at work. And some of us actually wait until this time of the year to toss around a Black fact here and there.
This country has tried to train us into believing that we and our contributions were/are back seat mentions. It has tried to convince us that the first successful heart surgery wasn’t a big deal and that the war efforts of the brave Tuskegee Airmen could have been done by someone else.
America has chosen to highlight our achievements into a box, to only be seen when convenient. America has also caused many of us to only talk about our history in predetermined time slots. And what’s even worse is that we seem content abiding by this regulatory misguided rule.
Our history needs to be an intricate part of this country. We need to stop waiting on our invitation for a seat at the table and remember that we made the table.
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