The Other Black HistoryrnThe Past as Progressrnby Joseph BrownrnOn May 13, Florida Governor Lawton Chiles signed intornlaw a measure requiring public schools to teach black history.rnThe black history law requires lessons on slavery, the passagernof slaves to America, abolition, and the contributions ofrnblacks to American society. “The history of African-Americansrnmust not be minimized or trivialized,” Chiles said. “Thernlessons of history should not be limited to one month or onernday on the school-year calendar.”rnLike Governor Chiles, I agree that a people’s history shouldrnnot be limited to one month of the year, especially the shortestrnmonth of the year. But more important than the time constraintsrnplaced on the learning of black history is what kind ofrnblack history the state education department and local schoolrnboards will mandate. My concern is that black history is beingrntaught from only one perspective: victimization.rnBlack History Month has become boring. Every year it followsrnthe same predictable path: Martin Luther King, the civilrnrights movement. Brown v. Board of Education, segregation,rnand endless stories about the ordeal of slavery. This only helpsrnto promote what Black History Month was supposed to eliminate:rnthe myth that black Americans are historical victims ofrnracism and have never contributed anything to the building ofrnAmerica except through slave labor. The spirit of self-reliance,rnan integral part of the black American heritage, is curiouslyrngiven little time and space.rnWhat I have come to call the “other black history” is beingrnleft out at a time when it is most needed. The truth is that valuesrnlike self-help, strong families, religion, patriotism, andrnnonreliance on government are rooted in black history. ThesernJoseph Brown is an editorial writer for the Press-Citizen inrnIowa City and a contributing editor to Destiny magazine inrnLansing, Michigan.rnwere the values that helped blacks survive, and in some casesrnprosper, through the worst oppression.rnThe black history that I learned while growing up in thern1950’s and 60’s conveyed that message. The two people mostrnoften mentioned then, Booker T. Washington and GeorgernWashington Carver, epitomized the concept of self-help andrnovercame severe obstacles to make it in America. By the endrnof the 1960’s, however, a move to draw attention away fromrnthese two heroes nearly succeeded. “They’re the only ones wernever hear about” was the complaint then, and they are seldom,rnif ever, mentioned today during Black History Month. Consideredrnthe decade of great progress for black America, the 6()’srnwere also the beginning of black historical revisionism, whichrncontinues to this day.rnYoung blacks have long asked the same old question: “Whyrnis his story [history taught from the Eurocentric perspective]rnhistory and my story [the black experience] mystery?” Whilernthe phrase is catchy, it does little to make young blacks feel betterrnabout themselves. If standard American history includedrnthe contributions of everyone who has helped to make thisrncountry great, there would be no need for a separate branch ofrnAmerican history, let alone the celebration of an entire monthrnas a secular holiday.rnConsequently, young blacks have become culturalrnschizophrenics: they are in the United States but do not feel arnpart of it. This is the residual effect of years of one-sidedrnblack history lessons and the rhetoric of victimization. Thisrnschizophrenia is manifested in criminal activity, drug abuse,rnpoor performance in school, and a general feeling of alienationrnfrom the nation.rnThe other black history could change all of this. However,rnit must be taught year round and not just for 28 days in February.rnThe recent celebration of one of my favorite stories inrnAUGUST 1994/23rnrnrn