![[ OPINIONS ]](/images/opinions97.gif)
Arizona Daily Wildcat February 4, 1997
Black history is your history
![[photograph]](04_2_i.gif)
History is generally defined as a record of past events worth noting, a concept that is tangible for all of us. Some have noted that we begin this week celebrating only black history; however, we began the celebration with all the right elements- everyone . All ethnic and racial backgrounds were in attendance at the 8th International Sounding of the Drum ceremony at the African American Cultural Resource Center. Blacks, whites, Native Americans, Asian-Pacifics, men, women, the young, and the old, all came to Sound the Drum and celebrate history. The celebration is not for African Americans, it is about African Americans.
It is, in fact, a celebration. It is a time to invite your family, both extended and immediate, friends, colleagues, and the curious on-lookers, to help commemorate and appreciate the contributions that African Americans have made to make this nation what it is today. It is a time when we see our own struggles and triumphs in the eyes of another. We embrace them because we understand where they have been and how far they have come. The clich‚ still holds true- we cannot know where we are going until we kn ow where we have been. This holds true for everyone's cultural history.
Historical similarities can be found the world over. Lessons of freedom permeate the struggles of the Hutus and Tutsis, the Serbs and Croats, Israel and Palestine, and in the Chiapas. "Freedom" is not used in the limited, Jeffersonian sense, but more so t o illustrate that self determination is a common denominator throughout the world. People, of all racial and ethnic origins, want to make their own way, using their own minds and hands, on their own land, and in their own sweet time.
Black History month is not just a "black thing." The celebration is not at the exclusion of any other community. If you feel excluded, you need to check your mailbox. Everyone is invited. The celebration is designed to be a festive learning experience. A heritage is to be shared, and in the sharing, we make an exchange. We exchange who we have become with those who are still growing, and visa versa. We learn about their anger, frustrations, fears, and resentments. We discover how perseverance and pride, v ictory and vision can uplift and inspire an entire generation, and every generation thereafter.
Behold the gifts knowledge bestowed on those who have overcome and continue to do so.
Find out about the contributions African Americans have made toward science, medicine, and engineering. Learn about a people who fought for the guarantee that all men are created equal. You will see that African American history has many faces and many co lors. Black History month is not only the history of African Americans. It is not just his-tory, but her-story, their-story, and our-story. A bit clicheish, I would agree. But when you understand why pride pervades a community, you will find pride within your own.
David H. Benton is a third-year law student, member of the ASUA President's Cabinet and Arizona Students' Association board member. His column, 'Another Perspective,' appears Tuesdays.
