The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.

The Daily Eastern News

The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.

The Daily Eastern News

The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.

The Daily Eastern News

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Editorial: Celebrate African-American Heritage Month

February is not just another month.  Monday was the start of African-American Heritage Month.

The month began as week in 1915 known as National Negro History Week.

The week was dedicated to promoting achievements made by African Americans.

The reason the month of February was chosen is to coincide with birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

According to History.com, the event inspired communities around the country to organize celebrations, host lectures and create history clubs.

By the 1960s, the week evolved into a month thanks to help of the Civil Rights Movement and growing awareness for African-American history.

African-American Heritage Month has been part of our history for more than 100 years now, and while the history should be celebrated every month, everyone should take the month to learn more about why it is celebrated and the history.

In Monday’s edition of The Daily Eastern News, the article titled “African-American Heritage Month events begin,” said there are events planned throughout the month of February with events taking place almost every day during the month.

The theme this year is “Black Awakening,” and Yolanda Williams, a gateway adviser and the African-American Heritage Month chair, said the theme is meant to show awareness of what is occurring around the world with people of color.

The events are not exclusively planned for just the African-American students.

Like Williams said in the article, the month is planned to celebrate a heritage, and people of all backgrounds can attend.

A calendar of events can be found on The News’ website.

Actually take the time to attend the events if you have free time.

The events are being put together for a reason, and they are to celebrate a heritage.

Take the time to learn about a culture that you may not know much about.

Learn and celebrate the rich traditions of African Americans.

Learn about the misrepresentations and misunderstandings of the culture.

Also remember that February is not just the month to exclusively learn about African-American heritage.

Learning about another heritage can happen in any month of the year, not just February.

African-American Heritage Month allows us as a society to be open as we embrace the past.

Be aware of what happened in the past, and be aware of what is happening now.

The daily editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.

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