Today marks the beginning of Black History Month, a time set aside not only to honor black Americans, but also to reflect on the struggle for equality in a divided world. Black history is a part of all our histories and a part of our national and local identity.
If the past year on this campus is any indication, the need to tell this history is obvious. We saw the creation of a race relations task force after the April arrest of a student, Patrick Gant, incited allegations of racial profiling and misconduct by the Carbondale Police Department. This page has been inundated with letters responding to Tommy Curry's column dealing with black issues on our campus and in our world.
The Daily Egyptian will earnestly cover the events planned in honor of this month, but we have also found our own way to celebrate. Besides just covering scheduled events, we will write a number of in-depth articles exploring black history in our region. There are fascinating stories in wait, rich histories that have been ignored for too long. You will hear of the heroic efforts of local black soldiers. You will learn the ways in which Carbondale and this University were racially divided, sometimes illuminating a shameful past in which hate groups openly paraded their propaganda. You will meet black SIUC alumni who, before conquering injustice in our nation, conquered it here in Carbondale. In every issue this month, a graphic illustration of a distinguished black American will appear on the front page masthead as a way to recognize his or her contributions to history.
This is how we will do our part to remember and celebrate. We look forward to seeing the many ways our community members will do theirs. We hope that the several articles on the subject we will offer this month will serve as local history lessons, long hidden from textbooks. We hope to incite conversations at coffeehouses, dorm rooms and dining tables. By doing this, we hope to enrich the lives of our readers.
The Daily Egyptian salutes the contributions blacks made and continue to make in our community, our nation and our world. We share in the pride for the civil rights struggles for which they fight, because in fighting for justice, blacks fight for the protections guaranteed by our beloved Constitution.
In delving into the black history of the University and Carbondale, we hope to learn not only about these institutions, but about ourselves. We can see how far we have come and how far we still need to travel. The reason Black History Month exists is because too often the stories of blacks aren't told, legacies are not passed on and giants among us go unrecognized.
Now it is time that we tell these stories. Now it is time that we pass on these legacies. Now it is time that the silent giants of our community and University stand up and be recognized.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
