OPINIONS OF MHCC COMMUNITY ON BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Amid a time of lingering public and political tension over race relations, the end of February also brings the close of Black History Month in America. February was chosen for the annual tribute due to the significant birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, on Feb. 12 and 20, respectively.

The Advocate has taken the opportunity this winter to interview several Black Americans at Mt. Hood, from a variety of backgrounds, to explore their views regarding American Black history.

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Doctor Abio Ayeliya, the Director of Student Life and Civic Engagement at MHCC, said that his own background as an African immigrant allows him to hold a feeling of shared history with fellow Black citizens in America, citing their shared history of slavery in his native Ghana.

During slavery’s prevalence in Africa, Ghana was the jumping-off base for shipping slaves elsewhere, including America and home to many European forts where slaves, gold, and salt were traded. The Europeans cooperated with the coastal natives to fight the mainlanders and northerners within Ghana, to help expand their territory, Ayeliya explained.

“The people who were mostly captured and shipped to the Western world are my people in the area, like my ancestors,” he said. “So when I came to America knowing that shared history, it gives me a special relationship because I feel like they are my brothers, they’re my nieces, they’re my nephews and they’re my cousins because of the captured history from the people in my home.

“Whenever I see an African American, I have to ask them, ‘How are you feeling?’ ” he said.

Ayeliya believes the government in the U.S. does treat Africans as humans after witnessing the government taking in refugees and giving them education and financial support, but also sees that refugees are treated differently, often unfairly.

“I wish people understood we come looking for the best and wished we were treated with dignity,” he said. As for the larger political picture in the U.S., he feels Black people are disadvantaged. “African Americans are low in graduation (rates) but what are doing to help them? We should be given equal and equitable opportunities,” he said. Yet, America’s history has set many barriers to progress. “Blacks were not considered humans for generations, so some whites have inherited (gains) from that effect.”

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Calvin Walker, a veteran academic adviser at Mt. Hood, has long spoken out about Black history in America and remains outspoken regarding the status of immigrants and African Americans in the U.S., including discussions on gentrification and its impacts here.

“We are no closer to ‘equal rights’ than we were in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60’s, until America can come to grips on slavery and abolish that mantle. We say we’ve reached equality, but that’s not true,” said Walker.

While Americans today might say the country has achieved equality, Walker prefers to be the iconoclast in his efforts to educate people on the pressing issues that Black Americans still face. A proud supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, he has repeatedly cited many incidents where he felt that advocates were given unfair treatment.

“People talk about Black Lives Matter and how it’s so horrible,” he said. “Black people are shot every day. Nobody walked in the streets for Trayvon Martin. Nobody stood up for Eric Gardner in the streets. The only thing that made George Floyd different was that everyone was home (during COVID shutdowns) and had no excuse but to watch him die.”

Walker said he believes one of the biggest obstacles to solving issues for Black people starts with the statement of “I don’t see color,” which Walker rebukes “as the most stupid and most ignorant statement I have ever heard in my life.

“You should see color and I want you to see I’m Black – just don’t disrespect me,” he said.

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Daniel Coppedge is a mixed-raced student here at Mt. Hood, with an Asian, white and Black ancestry. He said that from his experience, mixed-race people like himself often can pass as one race or another, while others may not. He believes that his experience as someone who mostly looks Asian has given him privilege that he now sees is not shared by many Black people greatly affected by life circumstances – as in where people grow up and go to school, their financial status, their profession, etc.

“I was born in a farming town in Taiwan, where most people were Taiwanese (by descent). I then moved to the U.S. and met my dad’s side of the family that was Black and white,” Coppedge said.

A common phenomenon that children of mixed race often face is the feeling they are “not enough” when it comes to one of their cultural heritages. Coppedge admirably manages to escape that phenomenon and said he manages to feel as if he is “enough” for all of his races.

“I embrace my family’s culture and our heritage… I’m ASIAN, I’m BLACK, I’m WHITE… because I am what I am,” he said. Growing up not being able to purely fit into a monolithic culture, he said he never feels the need to fit in, and that this trait provides an opportunity to “[Build] bridges over the culture clash and start to understand each other.”

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While all three speakers bring very different personal backgrounds and perspectives, what they have in common is the belief there is room for improvement of race relations and that blacks still face varying degrees of prejudice.

Taking a different tack entirely, each was asked their view of pride among Black persons in America.

Ayeliya said that there is a firm reason to be proud of being Black, citing his Christian faith.

“As a Christian, I believe that being Black is God’s creation. Whether it was God, science or even nature chose my color, I did not and because of that I will honor that,” he said. “I celebrate all colors because it brings beauty and it is my privilege and my birth.” He sums up his opinion in saying that it doesn’t matter if someone is white, Black or brown because “all skins are beautiful.”

“Without a doubt!” was the ecstatic answer that Walker gave when asked if there was a reason to be proud of being Black. He brought up the topic of slaves and masters, and how the pig’s meat was split between them as an example.

“When the pig was slaughtered, the loins and the chops went to the masters but the slaves got the pig tails, the ears, the feet and even the intestines,” he said. “Black folks have traditionally had a great association with the pig.”

Walker added the subject of conversations that Black American parents feel they must have with their children on how to interact with law enforcement, concluded his analysis by saying, “Black culture is one of survival. There has been a lot of hypertension but we have survived and there is something to be proud about that.”

“I am proud to be Black,” was the immediate reaction from Coppedge when asked. But he noted much progress must still be made, lamenting that Black culture is often portrayed both within and outside the U.S. as monolithic.

“Black culture has only been able to flourish and grow in the U.S. for 50-75 years,” he said. He believes that not only is there a reason to be proud of being Black, but that the necessity to feel pride is unprecedented. There remains a disconnect with others in understanding what it truly is like to be Black in America, he adds. “We need to put that duty into our hands and show the world what it means to be Black in America,” he concluded.

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Black pride is a shared position that bridges many points of view from the Mt. Hood interviewees. But as Black History Month comes to a close, one other question was posed: What does Black History Month itself mean to the three of them?

The commemoration is “an opportunity for people to recognize the achievements of Black people and their contributions to America for its political, cultural and economic achievements,” said Ayeliya, who oversees Mt. Hood student government and student activities groups on campus.

“People like Carter G. Woodson, (Barack) Obama, and Martin Luther King Jr., they fought for us. They not only did things for us, but also for America,” he said. “Our Black ancestors labored hard but their contributions were often not recognized,” he added.

Ayeliya said the annual reflection also serves as an opportunity for students to share their culture and ideas, in a fashion he emphasized with a question: “We are all in higher education. Aren’t we supposed to learn to understand and make better critical decisions by sharing cultures and ideas?” Walker, the academic adviser, acknowledges the importance of Black History Month, but also expressed skepticism.

“On one hand, it celebrates the achievements of Black people in the country but on the other hand, it is affirmative action – ‘We did this thing for you; now shut up,’ ” he said. While the recognition is something to be grateful for, people should realize that it shouldn’t appease Black people, alone. “Black History Month is merely a grain of sand in a mountain of possibilities.”

While Walker said he still believes the celebration is a good thing, he wants to make sure that there is a guarded sense of happiness to it, because there is still a lot of work to be done. He added with a laugh that “of all months they gave us… they gave us the shortest month of the year with an extra day every four years.”

Ultimately, Walker chose to end his answer with some advice for all: “We have a few problems, but remember to treat everybody with dignity.”

As for Coppedge, “I believe every month should be Black History Month,” he said. He believes there is value in understanding Black history not only in America, but that there is also untapped gold in expanding an understanding of African history, as well.

“The history of Africa is so vast and rich, and it is the biggest shame that we cannot learn this much in a normal school environment but must gain this information on our own,” he said. Coppedge says that his knowledge and education of Africa itself has never come from school curriculum, but from his own efforts, research and outreach from his family, and friends, which highlights the sadness of how there is so much opportunity to explore the history of Africa that goes unnoticed.

Despite the negatives, Coppedge said this motivates him to pursue his education further as it has helped him become proud of his culture and the value of educating others.

“Education is power and with that comes understanding,” he said.