In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, an African-American historian and the son of two slaves, first established “Negro History Week” as an honor to African-American history. As a scholar, Woodson noticed the lack of attention black history and historical figures received in textbooks and took it upon himself to create a specified time in February in which African-Americans and African-American history would be studied.  Since then, “Negro History Week” has transformed into Black History Month, and there is no need for a Black History Month.

Black History Month, in many ways, has become yet another way to segregate black Americans from the rest of American history. Growing up, I could always recall learning the same material every single February. Usually the material would focus on universally known facts and historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. Rarely did the lessons vary, and they never took place outside the month of February, as if that particular month was the only time students could learn about black history. Outside of February, the curriculum largely ignored black historical figures and facts, implying that black Americans were a “separate yet equal” group outside of America and its history.

Sound familiar? I hope so.

However, that is not to say that Black History Month shouldn’t have been created.

Woodson was onto something. Prior to establishment of Black History Month, influential African-American historical figures were virtually invisible in textbooks and historical lessons. In the 1920s, years before King began his voyage as a civil rights leader, America, as a whole, was very ignorant of all the contributions and heroic efforts black Americans had made in serving and improving the United States. When Woodson launched “Negro Week,” his primary goal was to educate all Americans and bring forth awareness of African-American accomplishments.

More than 80 years later, America has evolved. Instead of isolating and compacting black history into the shortest month of the year, schools should integrate African-American history into the entire curriculum as well as expand the material covered. For example, instead of spending an entire month studying a selected few black civil rights leaders, schools should also incorporate other less famous African-Americans as well, such as Lewis Latimer, Mark Dean and Emmett W. Chappelle, alongside the likes of Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Benjamin Franklin all year round. By allowing black history to be detached from the rest of U.S. history, America is doing a disservice to those who fought so hard to integrate and unify all Americans.

As this year’s Black History Month comes to close, I hope that all Americans realize that black history should not be treated as a separate entity, but rather as a part of our country’s past, present and future.