Rev. Ed McDowell of Trenholm Road United Methodist Church speaks to Dreher High School students during for Black History Month

On February 23rd, 2006, the students of Dreher High School were in consensus concerning two beliefs: 1. Replacing 2nd block class with a school assembly is totally non–objectionable; 2. the infinite contributions of African Americans to the history and culture of present-day America deserve great appreciation.

As African–American student Kim McKintee said, “Our heritage isn’t as acknowledged as it should be during the year. Blacks basically developed the nation and especially the Southern agriculture. We are the majority minority and in our school system, it appears that we focus more on European history.”

Fellow African-American student Erica Solomon agrees. “It’s not only Black history we are celebrating, but American history.” She adds, “You can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been.”

When asked why he believes Black History Month is so important, student Luis Suarez answers, “It’s important because it allows our nation to recognize an important part of our culture. African Americans have always been a large part of the population since the very foundation of this country.”

Thus, on February 23rd, Dreher joined the rest of the nation and held its annual Black History Month Assembly. Principal Jeanne Stiglbauer opened the ceremony by recognizing famous black civil rights activists, from Frederick Douglass to Martin Luther King Jr. as well as the “many unsung heroes among us today who led lives of vision, decency, generosity to their fellow man, and kindness of the human spirit.”

The chorus under the direction of Dr. Holland then performed “Soon we’ll be done with the troubles of the world.” After this, guest speaker Reverend McDowell walked to the podium…and then quickly left it. Throughout his speech, he moved about the stage in order to more fully address every single section of the auditorium. His voice was calm and mellifluous but still wrought with passion and conviction, accented with the type of cadence which brought the stomps and cheers and amens impulsively from the audience.

“Are there any blue devils in the house?” he asked. Raucous cheers rose from the crowd. He continued, “I am convinced today that were if not for the efforts and energy of Carter G. Woodson and countless other persons who have contributed to this illustrious history, no one here would be the benefactors of what this history brings.”

His speech was filled with inspirational messages. He declared, “No where is it written in the Book that you’ve got to like me. You’ve got to love me just as much as I love myself… You can’t sing total praise without fallin’ in love with someone.” The overall theme was in fact love.

“History,” Rev. McDowell declared, “loves people where they are, not where we want them to be.” In the spirit of the Super Bowl season, he illustrated human kind as being in a huddle. “Football players —they huddle together. They strategize, prioritize. And when I break out of the huddle, my ability to love you, to affirm you, is expanded. Then, we all throw the touchdown pass.”

Near the end of his oration, Rev. McDowell asserted that “The question is not ‘Who’ we are, but ‘Who’s’ we are, because we’re all in this thing together.”

Earlier, he had also mentioned that “History is totally, absolutely, unequivocally inclusive.” He asked, “How do we celebrate community? What model, what posture must we be in, if this history is to be all–inclusive?”

It’s a question that is actually brewing in the minds of many people at Dreher High School. While all share the opinion that black history is a vital part of this nation, the question of whether or not Black History Month remains as necessary as before receives varied responses.

Student Luke Bradley openly declares, “I absolutely hate the idea of stratifying history into ethnic groups.”

Fellow student Richard Hahn agrees and believes that “We need to recognize all cultures. If we have a Black History Month, we also need other months to recognize those other groups of people who have contributed greatly.”

One student, recognizing the impossibility of dedicating one month to every race, suggested, “Instead of dedicating one month to just one group, we should just celebrate diversity in general.”

While this student does not oppose Black History Month, as a Cuban-American, he does admit that at times, he feels the massive contributions of the Latin American people to this nation are under–appreciated.

One Colombian faculty member attributes the lack of other ethnicity–dedicated months to the lack of leadership. “The African–American group is much larger and has leaders defending their rights.” She also adds, “Most of the Hispanic groups here in America don’t quite feel they are at home yet. There is also a lack of cooperation making it impossible to do a lot. And with the highly–public issue of illegal immigration, most of the people try to remain hidden. They don’t want too much attention.”

Rev. McDowell has a different perspective on this special month. Beyond simply reevaluating African American history, this month represents “a talking point. It simply gives persons an opportunity to sit and talk.”

Guidance Counselor Kitty Henderson shares this view: “It’s informative. Many people don’t know about this history. What it does is bring awareness. People become more attentive to diversity in general.”

But if we are celebrating diversity in general and Black History Month is just a type of forum, why does the name still matter? And more importantly, where do we go from here? Now that we recognize the history, how can the African American community continue to move forward?

Hurricane Katrina revealed the progress which still remains to be fulfilled. To this, Rev. McDowell says, “What we saw in New Orleans were the forgotten faces of society. The crux of the matter is that we need a paradigm of communication…What happened in New Orleans was that humanity was stuck on the bottom, and there was no one to rescue them in time of crisis and need. Humanity was on the bottom in the first place because there was no communication…There are valuable lessons in our history. What the African American youth must do now is to recapture that illustrious history: the morals, ethics, temperance, tolerance, and above all, love.”

Thus, while the assembly may have left many questions unanswered and issues unresolved, the message with which both students and faculty left the auditorium was one of love, communication, awareness, and all in all, can basically be summed up in Rev. McDowell’s concluding statement: “I am who I am. I am somebody.”