Cohen Statement on Black History Month

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) today issued the following statement on Black History Month, which is celebrated every February:

“Since its official establishment by Congress in 1986, some have questioned the value or wisdom of dedicating the month of February to the study of African American history. Some have asked if this means that we will ignore the contributions of African Americans for the other eleven months of the year. In that vein, the actor Morgan Freeman recently posed the question, ‘Why relegate my history to a single month?’

“It is an unfortunate fact that too few Americans fully understand and appreciate the impact African Americans have had on our country and its history. A 2010 report by the Southern Poverty Law Center showed that only two percent of high school seniors could identify the Supreme Court decision that desegregated public schools. Yesterday, I introduced a bill to honor the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement with a Congressional Gold Medal, not only to recognize their accomplishments, but to remind Americans everywhere that we still have heroes living among us.

“I recently spoke at the interment of Lt. Col. Luke J. Weathers Jr., who was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. He was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, a group of men who wanted to fight for their country in World War II and were at first denied the chance to do so because of the color of their skin. Two weeks ago, Red Tails, a film about their heroics, was released to a nationwide audience and grossed nearly $20 million in ticket sales.

“In an interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Red Tails director George Lucas said that he had been trying to make Red Tails for over twenty years. Speaking about his efforts to produce the film, he said ‘I showed it to them and they said, ‘No. We don't know how to market a movie like this. It’s an all black movie. There are no major white roles in it at all.’’ The movie studios didn’t believe America wanted to see a story with an all-black cast. During its opening weekend, moviegoers across the country proved them wrong.

“Over 80 years after the Tuskegee Airmen risked their lives to serve and defend a nation that discriminated against them, one of the most successful directors of our time couldn’t secure outside funding for an action movie based on the real stories of their heroic and historic deeds. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is not only part of black history, it’s part of American history. Unfortunately, there are still people who don’t understand that. We must continue to observe Black History Month each February to ensure that all Americans come to see black history as inseparable from their own.”