I like that March is Women’s History Month. I like that February is Black History Month. These are segments of our society that are like pillars holding our strength and we are empowered by seeing them celebrated.
Ultimately, however, I hope that history will be rewritten to be inclusive and the need for this segmentation will be un-necessary.
We should learn about the achievements and the failures of all those who have helped lead this country to its position of greatness. This knowledge should be provided regardless of race or sex. Students need know where our American ideas, inventions and achievements originated. We need to know how they were influenced and why they instigated change. We need to understand no change occurs in a vacuum. And we need to create history books that include all the variables – women, children, men, all races, all religions, sexual orientation and all social-economic backgrounds.
An inclusive history, like the constitution, is the strength of this country. Having celebrated each pillar, we should work towards recognizing the whole.