Black History Month changing Vegas’ attitudes

Saturday, Feb. 21, 1998 | 11:07 a.m.

For hundreds of years, blacks in America were considered to be less than human, a race that contributed nothing to humanity.

"That was the dominant view, though not the exclusive view," Rainier Spencer, assistant professor of Afro-American studies at UNLV, said.

Blacks were so dehumanized and their history so distorted that "slavery, peonage, segregation and lynching were considered justifiable," wrote one educator in the publication Ghana Review.

One black historian, professor, author and journalist credited with playing a major role in the drive to correct those unjust acts and erroneous beliefs was Carter G. Woodson, often called "The Father of Black History."

Black History Month, an annual February event, traces its roots to Negro History Week, which was established as the second week in February in 1926 after years of lobbying by Woodson.

He chose that week because it contained the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and black educator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Woodson, born in 1875, was the son of former slaves. He left home at 17 and worked his way through the educational system, eventually becoming the second black person to receive a doctorate from Harvard University.

Woodson traveled around the world teaching and studying.

In 1915, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which in 1976 was changed to the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.

He started the Journal of Negro History in 1916, and in 1917 published his first book, the "The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861."

Woodson founded Associated Publishers in 1921 to produce black history textbooks and learning material, and in 1937 created the Negro History Bulletin to supply supplementary instructional tools for teaching history in elementary and secondary schools.

He died in 1950 in Washington.

Woodson's goal was to use what became "Black History Week" and "Black History Month" to highlight achievements by blacks and raise the consciousness of his people and the nation.

Spencer said the annual event has had a definite impact on American society.

"If you look at things prior to Black History Month and Black History Week you see big differences," he said.

Textbooks written 30 years ago are dramatically different from those written today, Spencer noted.

Ideally, there would be no need for a Black History Month, he said.

"It's kind of a half-way measure."

Until black history is portrayed with accuracy, Black History Month is a way to help correct many errors, he believes.

"There is a lot of mythology and a lot of inaccuracies out there," he said.

Schools on all levels throughout Las Vegas Valley -- elementary, secondary and university -- plan activities focusing on black history during February.

"Practically every day there is some event (at UNLV)," Spencer said. "Most of it is not from the administration but by student volunteers."

Clark County schools offer a variety of programs and events. Among them are:

* Selected art students from Durango High School will have their work exhibited at the Rainbow Library, 3150 N. Buffalo Drive, through April 2.

* On Thursday, Advanced Technologies Academy, 2501 Vegas Drive, will host its third annual black history show at 7 p.m., featuring interpretations of outstanding black historical figures.

* On Friday, Juvenile Court Schools and Clark County Family and Youth Services will hold their ninth annual black history program at 2 p.m. at Zenoff Hall, 601 N. Pecos Road.

Such activities are important to Cimarron-Memorial High School students Donya Willis, 18, and Noel Green, 16.

"It's a chance to reminisce, get back to my roots," Green, a 10th-grader, said. "You can never look into your future till you look into your past."

It's important to remember those who "paved the way," she said.

"Racism is still a major problem. Every day we have to face the race card," Green, who wants to become a doctor, said.

But, she believes things are getting better, especially in Las Vegas where she doesn't feel the strain she felt when she lived in Texas.

"I haven't had a problem here," Green, a Summerlin resident, said. "Most of my friends are rooted in one goal -- to complete high school and go on to a university. They don't have time to participate in foolishness. Most of the students here have goals."

The overall attitude among her fellow students at Cimarron-Memorial "is great," she said. "It's really different here than in Texas."

Senior Donya Willis, a music student who will be going to college in Florida next year, said Black History Month is important to him because it is part of his culture and heritage.

"People have died for many of the things I have."

He's not optimistic racism will ever die and the need for a Black History Month will fade away.

"People today have gotten lazy and nonchalant. They are more interested in themselves," he said, noting that in the 1960s and 1970s there was greater cohesiveness in purpose within the black community.

He would like to see cultural awareness emphasized more in the classroom, he said.

Assistant Principal Andre Denson, who oversees Black History Month events at Cimarron-Memorial, said the celebration is actually for all cultures.

"Everyone is involved, celebrating their past, their identities," he said.

Ideally, said Denson, teaching about one's roots should be done at home.

"It should not fall on the school, it should start at home by talking to parents and grandparents and great-grandparents," he said.

But, he said, many parents don't know their history.

Denson said he isn't sure black history is taught in the right way.

"History classes should focus on everyone's history, and African-American history should be a part of normal history."

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