By Wylliam Smith
It’s no secret that Iowa isn’t necessarily a diverse state. The state population as a whole is 91.3 percent white. But now is the month of February, Black History Month, so let’s turn our focus to Iowa’s glorious 2.9 percent black community. I’d just like to start out by saying, I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Not the South Side of Chicago or Detroit, so I did not come from a particularly minority-rich community.
Despite this, where I’m from, every year Black History Month has been treated as a monthlong holiday. You heard about it on television, teachers spoke of it in class, it was in the paper almost daily, not to mention there was a newspaper system completely targeted for the black community. Everyone knew about Black History Month, all month long.
It was talked about nonstop, to the point where it was slightly annoying. I found myself saying things such as “black people need to stop living in the past” and “the only way for progress is to move forward.” Looking back on it now, I regret saying those things.
When I moved to Iowa from Michigan, my family told me that I would be coming into a new community, that things would be different and I would have to adjust. Those adjustments were, for the most part, subtle changes. Nothing too serious, and nothing I couldn’t adapt to. But then came Black History Month. Or rather there went Black History Month. Gone. February is almost over, and to be honest, up until a week ago I had barely noticed.
When I first realized this I was shocked, and then as time went on, I became appalled. I heard absolutely nothing about Black History Month this February. I’m not saying that there were no Black History Month events, because there were, I’m saying the lack of overall awareness in Iowa City was unsettling to me. This is my first year in Iowa City, so I can’t accurately judge how the historic month is portrayed every year. But for this year, the year of 2017, I personally feel that the month left something to be desired.
That’s not to say that African American history should be the only thing talked about for the entire month of February, but it definitely needs to be talked about more. Coverage of Black History Month by Iowan media outlets has been lacking. Of course, the media must still report the news, but perhaps media outlets could add a weekly story discussing an important African American figure. And it’s not just the news; another thing that could help would be the university sending an email bringing notice to Black History Month.
Of course, this is all my experience. I’m not saying that Iowa City is doing anything wrong, rather, I am saying that coming from where I am from, the 2017 month of February did not feel like Black History Month to me.
If you would like to go somewhere to learn about Black History Month, or if you just want to talk about it, there are still options available to you.
On Friday, there will be a Black History Month talent show, there will be a Sunday dinner on Feb. 26, Bijou Film Forum will present Southside with You on Feb. 28, and University of Iowa Associate Professors Lena and Michael Hill will talk about their book Invisible Hawkeyes at Prairie Lights on Feb. 28.