I am a HUUUUUUUUGE fan of Robin Roberts. I discovered her during the Hurricane Katrina coverage and have watched her grow and change and now she one of the hosts of Good Morning America. In the last week I have told two friends that if I were a school administrator or history teacher faced with the best way to present Black History Month this year I would focus on two things, one being African American war heroes, specifically the Tuskegee Airmen (I'll tell you the other thing on another day). Why? Because we are having a challenge in defining Patriotism in America and we are challenged with a really tough dialogue on race. I don't think Black History Month is the time to focus on racial relations, though many people, schools, institutions feel it is and I KNOW, that black people in our nation have a greater dialogue than enslavement. This month, focus on the stories, on the heroes, there are more than plenty to fill the month. This isn't an attempt to ignore the other. It is a month of highlighting the accomplishments of those who have often been left out of our nation's history curriculums and for showing that more unites us than divides. If you are one of those people wondering why we need Black History Month, it is because there are children growing up around our nation, maybe not as much now, but certainly my generation, who did not have the benefit of a history curriculum that told these stories and these contributions. I had seen before that Robin Roberts father was one of the Tuskegee Airmen but it hit me again yesterday that it made sense for this woman to have this as her example because she sets the bar high every day. #BlackHistoryMonth Robin Roberts
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/tuskegee-airmen
(image courtesy of www.history.com)
