BET could have not come at a better time to our shores. The channel is currently celebrating the Black History Month with reels and reels of pro-Black educational material that speaks of the history of America.
The stories are usually inspiring, larger-than-life, occurrences that shaped the future of America.
Almost every corner of the world has its issues, and even America, as progressive as it may be, still suffers from historical vices like racism.
When the George Zimmerman story broke after he shot a black teenager, a lot of race-fuelled arguments arose. Just last week, an Afro-American family was on CNN complaining that their deceased beloved had died of Ebola because he was not well treated.
They alleged that it was weird that the deceased was the only black person in a group of white people that contracted the disease from their African trip, while the others made it through unscathed. Whether this is true or not, it underlines the fact that race is still a sticking point in the US-of-A.
Black History Month serves to highlight the positive things that black people have achieved over the years.
These achievements are shown through documentaries, films and music among other things. The idea to celebrate black history came from a black historian called Dr Carter G. Woodson who initially established Negro History Week in 1926.
The week was set in February to be in line with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. The two are regarded as influential figures in the history of blacks in America.
The first message of Observance of the Black History Month was given by US President Ford in 1976. It has since spread to the UK and other places across the globe.
This year, the celebrations were scheduled for the month of October and BET has been airing significant footage that celebrates this cause.
While this would make the likes of Rosa Parks and Dr Martin Luther King smile in their graves, some people feel that the celebration of one race’s triumphs only stimulates contempt from the other races. Morgan Freeman is on record saying that he doesn't celebrate Black History Month, but he celebrates American history. For him, white people don’t have a month set aside to celebrate their history and so Black should not confine the celebration of their development over the centuries to just one month.
The late Maya Angelou agreed with him.
However, other people feel that Black History Month is essential to highlight the sometimes overlooked achievements of Afro-Americans. They believe that the reason why there is no White History Month is because there is a system in place which celebrates the accomplish-ments of white people.
Black History Month is meant to raise awareness and, if you look closely, it’s not a black-only affair.
For example, in one of the documentaries that was aired the other day about the rise of hip hop in America, there was mention of how Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin made a fortune out of this genre of music. Now if this was a black-only affair, they would not have acknowledged Rubin.
Also, homage was paid to major players like Vanilla Ice and The Beastie Boys, white hip hop artists who contributed to the growth of this American music form.
Essentially, Black History Month is a look at the development of America as a nation, through the eyes of black people.
• Look out for several programs on Black History Month coming to you on BET (DStv channel 135) everyday from 6pm.