BHM: So much more than MLK

By Trebor Rose

Reporter/Photographer

It’s February upon Crete-Monee High School, which means it’s time more obscure or forgotten figures get a spotlight. However, the students believe it should look deeper into the Wall of Hidden Legacies.

Mr. Eddie and students decorate Mr. Nielsen's door for the Black History Month door decorating contest. Photo by Kayla Tomasevich.

Black History Month is roughly four weeks long, ideal to cover twenty-eight different people. According to the official website for the NAACP, it was just a single week and was created by Carter G. Woodson to celebrate the contributions Black people had made in American history, which most people agree is a noble goal.

However, Black History Month does have some issues with how it’s presented in CMHS, most noticeably, the district’s fixation on the Civil Rights era. Mostly due to its focus on Martin Luther King Jr., an issue some classes have attempted to rectify by teaching about figures outside of Martin Luther King Jr. However, the CM201-U curriculum still primarily focuses on MLK.

With all these differing perspectives on who should be taught during Black History Month, it’s hard to know where to start. However, the school has an entire class category dedicated to the field of history, which is where a student would most likely hear about these forgotten legacies.

“I think that it is an excellent opportunity for people to really dive into and really be involved in black history,” world history teacher Mr. Grecek said.

With such a monumental opportunity, it’s a shame that people usually overlook the really obscure yet important figures in favor of those from the Civil Rights era, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks.

“I think that Martin Luther King Jr. was very important in the Civil Rights Movement, and I think that a lot of students know who he is,” US history teacher Mr. Sarsfield said. “One thing I like to do in my class is make sure we’re talking about more than just Martin Luther King Jr. and getting into more Black Americans who’ve had an impact on our history.”

With this in mind, it’s a good thing teachers in this district are given some freedom from the curriculum and are able to teach things that would benefit students without much interference from the administration. If they weren’t, students would only be able to hear about the Civil Rights era.