As of 1986, the whole month of February is considered Black History Month. The purpose of the month is to celebrate the achievements and have a time to remember the history of African Americans.
Paying tribute to generations of black people who struggled to gain citizen ship in America should be our focus every day. It is sad enough that we get the shortest month of the year. Considering the fact that we are attending the only HBCU in Oklahoma, you would think this month would be full of black excitement.
As the first of March approached, I was a little upset about the lack of experience I had at my HBCU. The only major event pertaining to our history that I can look back and remember is Martin Luter King Day. On January 16, there was an MLK parade full of activities and music from the band.
There were very few events in February about black history. The ones that took place were barely known about because of the lack of promotion from event coordinators. The events this month consisted of ceremonies and celebrations for other organizations. In my opinion, Langston could have incorporated some black history during some of those events.
A statement made on the Langston University’s Instagram page states “As Oklahoma’s only HBCU, we are proud to celebrate Black History Month every month as we continue to shape the leaders and history – makers of the future.” Whenever I read this on February 1st the word I immediately spotted and got excited for was “celebrate.” As someone who graduated from a predominately white school, I looked forward to coming to an HBCU and really connecting with my people in every way.
Jimmy Lee, a sophomore at Langston University, said “I lowkey forgot it was black history month. It was also kind of quiet on all my social media pages, I do feel like all I remember seeing was memes about Valentines Day.” Hearing that had me questioning my community.
At Fisk University, an HBCU in Nashville, TN, they had a BHM tribute during a basketball halftime show. I couldn’t say the same about my HBCU. There were four home games at Langston during the month of February and there were no halftime tributes. Nothing was memorable. I have seen pictures and quotes about black history month around the café but nothing major.
The last time Langston University posted something on their website about BHM was February 16, 2016. On that day they also held an event in the auditorium. There were events held such as “The Spirit of Black Wallstreet before & after the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre”. This event took place in the Gymnasium. This event was barely publicized.
As I take the time to have a recap of 2023 black history month, I realize that there isn’t much I can say. This reminds me of the high school I attended. I never felt like I got the chance to learn the history of African Americans. Langston has let me down for the first time ever since I got here. For improvement of this problem in the future we could have parades, watch documentaries or have tributes at our black college. I am hoping that next year will be different and I have something to not only look forward to but to tell memorable stories about.
Taniya McQueen
Staff Writer
Taniya McQueen is a sophomore Broadcast Journalism major
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The Gazette serves as the student voice of Langston University. It is produced within the Department of Communication as a teaching tool and local news source for the campus community. The views and opinions expressed within are those of the writers whose names appear with the articles and do not necessarily represent the views of Langston University.
