February, Most Appropriate for Black History Month (Published in Montgomery County Community College's The Tribune, March 1998)

Significant events in African American history saturate the month of February, making it the most appropriate month to celebrate African American history. Such important events include the births, the deaths, and the accomplishments of prominent black leaders Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Malcolm X. These leaders are African American heroes because they passionately embraced freedom and equality. The latter they fought for and achieved by making it possible for African Americans to have the abundance of privileges they were once denied. This simultaneously helped to improve conditions for other minorities and oppressed groups. Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Malcolm X's commitments to ridding African Americans of their oppressive circumstances are evident in their lives and their achievements.

Frederick Douglass, an author, an orator, a social reformer, and one the most famous and influential African American leaders of the 19th century, was born in February 1818. Douglass recounted his dreadful experiences as a slave in 1845 when he wrote The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave. He revised his Narrative in 1855 when he composed My Bondage and My Freedom. He further modified his Narrative in 1881 when he published his last autobiography entitled The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. Douglass emphasized the horrors of slavery in his Narrative to rebuke slavery and the institutionalized, rampant racism that characterized his era. His eloquently written Narrative has continued to endure as a literary masterpiece.

Douglass also sought, through political means, to end slavery and to improve social conditions for African Americans. He advised President Lincoln to recruit African Americans to serve in the army and to treat them equitably during the Civil War. Douglass' political pressure influenced Lincoln's issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Douglass was later appointed as the President of the Freedmen's Bank, US Marshall for the District of Columbia (1877-1881), Recorder of Deeds for the District of Columbia (1881-1886), and Charge D' Affaires for Santo Domingo and Minister to Haiti (1889-1891).

W.E.B. Du Bois kept Douglass' legacy alive as he also dedicated his life to bettering conditions for African Americans. Du Bois was born in February 1868, during the era of Douglass' prominence and during America's Reconstruction Period. Du Bois attended Fisk University from 1885 to 1888, and he received his doctorate in history from Harvard University in 1895. Shortly after graduating from Harvard, Du Bois accepted a research position at the University of Pennsylvania, which resulted in The Philadelphia Negro (1899), a noted early example of empirical sociology. In 1903, Du Bois wrote The Souls of Black Folk, a collection of essays illustrating diverse aspects of African American identity, history, and culture.

To address African American political issues and concerns, he established the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in February 1909. Du Bois also created The Crisis, a magazine that served as a voice for his newly formed NAACP. The Crisis gave Harlem Renaissance artists and writers a creative outlet, as it published the works of prolific writers such as Langston Hughes, also born in February.

In response to his concern for African colonialism after World War I, Du Bois established the Pan African Congresses in 1919, 1921, 1923, and 1927. The oppressive economic conditions of the Great Depression also heightened Du Bois' interest in socialism. In 1934, he wrote The Black Reconstruction in America (1934), which demonstrated his interest in Marxism. Six years later, Du Bois published Dusk of Dawn: An Autobiography of a Concept of Race. And in 1963, he became of citizen of Ghana, where he lived until his death in 1963. W.E.B. Du Bois' intellectual contributions still endure and have paved the way for future black leaders and scholars.

Malcolm X followed the path paved for him by leaders such as Douglass and Du Bois as he would become one of the most controversial, thought-provoking and influential African American leaders of his time. Malcolm X gained prominence and media attention after being appointed minister of Muslim Temple Number 7 by Nation of Islam (NOI) leader Elijah Muhammad. As a minister and recruiter for the Nation of Islam, Malcolm emphasized self-love and implored African Americans to be conscious of their history to achieve self-esteem and confidence. His self-empowerment teachings particularly attracted urban African Americans plagued with woes such as poverty, unemployment and police brutality, indeed conditions that create feelings of powerlessness and inferiority.

However, as Muhammad's prodigy and disciple, Malcolm espoused Muhammad's ideas, many of which were extremely radical and racist. Furthermore, throughout Malcolm's career with the NOI, he often ridiculed Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent philosophies. During the 1960s, flagrant and overt racism was too often manifested as police brutality. Malcolm believed that African Americans had every right to defend themselves against such abuse.

In 1964, Malcolm disobeyed Muhammad's order to refrain from commenting on the death of President John F. Kennedy. Consequently, Muhammad suspended Malcolm's role as the NOI's most visible figure. Shortly after his suspension, Malcolm severed his ties with the NOI. He also discovered his own ideologies, and he stopped espousing Muhammad's ideas. During Malcolm's influential trip to Mecca, he became a Sunni Muslim, changed his name to "El-Hajj Malik-El Shabazz", and learned the validity of brotherhood among all races.

Malcolm also established the Organization of African American Unity in 1964, and he became more supportive of Martin Luther Kings Jr.'s civil rights' aims. But Malcolm sought to broaden the civil rights' struggle to one magnifying human rights. He became politically active in Africa, influencing many leaders of African countries to unite under the common goal of black liberation and justice and to present their grievances to the United Nations Committee of Human Rights. However, in February 1965, Malcolm was assassinated before attaining his goal. Although Malcolm's life ended prematurely, his legacy continues to thrive.

Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Malcolm X are heroes for using the democratic principles of liberty and equality as weapons against racism and as tools to improve conditions for African Americans in the 19th and 20th centuries. Their achievements have not only enabled African Americans to reach great heights, but their contributions have helped to extend civil liberties to ALL Americans.

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