How advocates are stepping up for Black History month as federal agencies scale back | ASALH

How advocates are stepping up for Black History month as federal agencies scale back

WASHINGTON ‒ With some Black History Month activities being scaled back by the federal government, history and education organizations are ramping up efforts to fill the void.

“We are stepping in to that gap,’’ said Karsonya Wise Whitehead, president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. “You don’t wait to be celebrated. We celebrate ourselves.’’

Wise Whitehead said she’s been getting calls from concerned workers at state, local and federal governments since President Donald Trump issued several executive orders ending support for diversity and inclusion and the Department of Defense issued a memo declaring “Identity Months Dead at DoD.”

“When our history is under attack what do we do? We stand up and we fight back,’’ said Wise Whitehead, also a professor of communications and African American Studies at Loyola University in Maryland.

President Donald Trump made a point of saluting Black History Month and the contributions of some African Americans in a proclamation on Jan. 31, the eve of Black History Month.

“Throughout our history, black Americans have been among our country’s most consequential leaders, shaping the cultural and political destiny of our Nation in profound ways,’’ it read.

Trump went on to name some American heroes, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and golfer Tiger Woods.

Every president since Gerald Ford in 1976 has issued a proclamation recognizing Black History Month.

Trump’s read, “This National Black History Month, as America prepares to enter a historic Golden Age, I want to extend my tremendous gratitude to black Americans for all they have done to bring us to this moment, and for the many future contributions they will make as we advance into a future of limitless possibility under my Administration.”

But a proclamation isn’t enough, said Wise Whitehead.

And she and others worry that even with Trump’s proclamation, the administration set a damaging tone when he signed an executive order last month rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the government.

“People need to stick with Black history, not just have it proclaimed, but actually sit with it, discuss it and think about its relevance and its importance today,” Wise Whitehead said.

Who should lead celebrations?

Some Trump supporters have said singling out groups for identity months celebrations can be divisive.

New Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in the Jan. 31 memo that his staff could not use official resources, including their time, to host events related to cultural awareness months, including Black History Month, Women’s History Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

“Efforts to divide the force – to put one group ahead of another – erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution,” the memo read.

Zebulon Miletsky, an associate professor of Africana Studies at Stony Brook University, said that some companies are already following the government’s lead and cutting back on diversity initiatives and efforts, which could include such celebrations.

“That’s the danger,’’ he said. “That could happen because even though it’s not mandated by any law or executive order, that I’m aware of, companies like Target voluntarily chose to end their programs around diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Target was one of several companies to roll back its DEI initiatives after Trump signed an executive order banning them across federal agencies.

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