Letter: Celebrating black history month at the University of Montana

Celebrating Black History Month at the University of Montana

Black History Month honors the struggles, triumphs, and contributions to American society by its citizens of African descent. The month-long acknowledgment of these accomplishments began in 1926, conceptualized and brought to fruition by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a black lecturer, scholar, historian and founder of the Journal of Negro History.

What we have come to term Black History Month began life as "Negro History Week", launched in the second week of February. This week was chosen because it fell between the birthdays of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men whose contributions were invaluable to the individual identity of African Americans as well as our collective consciousness as a nation.

Dr. Woodson saw the necessity of documenting the multitude of accomplishments and struggles by African Americans. Though replete with the narrative of our white brethren, save for anecdotal references to the Negro in an inferior characterization, the history books were glaringly devoid of any substantive, critical, meta-analytical documentation of the African-American experience.

There was no mention of Benjamin Banneker's contributions to the design of our Nation's capitol; no mention of Louis Lattimer, an assistant to Thomas Edison, who held several patents relative to the electric light and co-authored a book on the principles of electricity; no mention of Granville T. Woods who was known as the "Black Thomas Edison", inventing multiple devices which improved electric railway cars as well as devices for controlling electricity; no mention of Elijah McCoy, from whom the term "the real McCoy" was derived, a man with over 50 patents for inventions and processes used primarily in the engineering and lubrication industries; no mention of Sarah Goode, the first African-American woman to receive a patent; no mention of Garrett Morgan, inventor of the three-color traffic light or Charles Drew who is credited for developing techniques for preserving blood and plasma; no mention of hundreds of other patent-holding African Americans.

Few of us today realize that Montana has had a number of African-American residents since the Territory was discovered. Helena boasted 2 African-American newspapers; the Montana Plaindealer (1906-1911) and The Colored Citizen (1894); few know of Sarah Bickford, a black owner of a water company in Virginia City, or Geraldine Travis, the first African American elected to the Montana Legislature in 1974.

A much more recognizable connection of African Americans in early Montana can be found in the much publicized exploits of the 25th Infantry Black Bicycle Corps stationed at Fort Missoula. This pioneer military group was established to test the feasibility of employing the bicycle as a combat transport vehicle during wartime. The Corps most publicized venture was the 1897 cycle ride from Fort Missoula to St. Louis Missouri.

The University of Montana, too, has a rich African-American activist-based historical tie. In 1967, four UM students of African descent, Thamani Akbar, Dee Daniels, Herb White and Mace Gray organized the first Black Student Union on the University of Montana campus. During the fall of 1967, these four students proposed to then-UM President Robert Pantzer that the University start a Black Studies program. Through the diligent efforts of these students and other Missoula residents, Pantzer hired Ulysses Doss in May of `68. The former Chicago community activist Doss, almost immediately, hung a sign on his door declaring himself "Director of Black Studies".

Few of us may know that UM has the third Black Studies program in the country, preceded by Cal State, Los Angeles in Sept. `67, and Cal State, Long Beach in Jan. `68. San Francisco State has long claimed to be the first, but they were actually 4th, in Sept. `68.

Recognition of Black History Month at the University of Montana ties into this institution's historically demonstrated commitment to providing a diverse educational experience for our students, faculty and staff. We believe that celebration of Black History Month aids in demonstrating our pledge to diversity.

We argue that if history is truly a tapestry only as strong as the individual threads of which it is constructed, as many have declared, then each thread (and the narrative it represents) is critical in both the design and integrity of the cloth.

We invite you, as well as challenge you, to share with us this month as we uncover old truths and myths, contemplate our past, celebrate our present and design our future.

Murray Pierce from the Vice President of Student Affairs' Office