T-Pain was recently heard echoing the sentiments of a handful of critical and analytical Black people. For all of us, Black History Month is a time to reflect and remember the greatness that came before us and how their efforts shaped the present we currently live in. That celebratory notion, though, is often overshadowed when put into context. Black History Month relegates acknowledgment of Black accomplishments to one month, in which those outside of the Black community use as evidence that things are equal among all groups. This is not the case.
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When speaking on Black History Month, T-Pain expressed these sentiments exactly. “We want to be a part of history, not just one month of it” said the musical innovator and melodic pioneer.
These statements from T-Pain come on the heels of bomb threats issued to a slew of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The threats, made right as Black History Month was beginning to kick into gear, reminded him that this is “nothing new.” He expressed that the threats were just another means of scaring black students, taking measures to prevent them from getting an education. This is not in any way, shape, or form a surprise to those aware of what’s going on. Chances are, occurences like this won’t go away any time soon.
T-Pain believes the only way to change some of these happenings is for us to “make our own sh*t.” HBCUs, or Black History Month for that matter, weren’t created by Black people. Maybe with our own direction, things will begin to take shape in a new way. Master P spoke on wanting to own an HBCU before, as maybe that would engender some positive change.
Do you feel like Black History Month has some negative implications outside of the community? Share your thoughts below.