Rev. Fr. Kareem Smith, preaching at a Mass to celebrate Black History Month at St Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, New York

News Analysis by Cecilia Ologunagba, New Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

For the past 46 years, the United States has been celebrating the Black History Month every February to acknowledge the contributions of African Americans to national development.

The Black Month History, according to analysts, is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and is a time set aside to recognise their central role in U.S. history.

It is also a time to showcase the rich cultural heritage, successes, challenges of African Americans and honour the unprecedented contributions of the immigrant population.

U.S. President Joe Biden, in a statement to commemorate the 2022 Black History Month, called on the American people to honour the history and achievements of Black Americans.

Biden called on the American people to reflect on the centuries of struggles that have brought the citizens to this time of reckoning, redemption, and hope.

“We have never fully lived up to the founding principles of this nation that all people are created equal and have the right to be treated equally throughout their lives,’’ he said.

Commemorating the Month through the partnership of Tukiye-Africa, the Consul-General of Nigeria in New York, Amb. Lot Egopija, recalled the contributions of African Americans, especially Nigerians, to U.S. development.

At an event hosted by the Consulates of Nigeria, Turkey and Ghana in New York, Egopija pledged that Nigerians, as part of Africa American population, would continue to contribute to the development of the U.S.

Consul-General of Ghana in New York, Amb. Daniel Boafo, recalled the contributions of some Blacks to U.S development.

Boafo remembered the Blacks, such as Martin Luther King, Carter Woodson, the father of Black History, who in 1926 initiated the drive to educate black people about black history and culture.

“We will continue to remember other renowned people of African descent such as Mohammed Ali, Rosa Parks as well as Micheal Jackson and others,’’ he said.

The Ghanaian envoy said it would be important for African Americans, and people of African descent, in the diaspora to meet from time to time to socialise and support one another.

Similarly, the Consul-General of Turkey in New York, Amb. Reyhan Ozgur, emphasised networking with one another to promote and celebrate the achievements of Black Americans.

Ozgur said the event was about celebrating the African Americans and their contributions to the U.S, noting that New York is the center of extra ordinary diversity.

“Black Americans are an inseparable part of America, particularly the New York culture. We cherish their perseverance, resilience and achievements,’’ he said.

Also speaking, Mr. Edward Mermelsten, Commissioner for International Affairs at the Mayor’s office, commended the organiser of the event, on behalf of the New York City Mayor, Eric Adams.

“Walking across the five boroughs of the city, you will hear 100 languages spoken in New York and you will experience cultures from around the world.

Jerry Kansio, Chairman, African Heritage Affairs, New York City, also emphasised networking as African Americans and the promotion of the rich culture of Africa, especially that of Ghana and Nigeria.

He cited the contributions of the Mayor of New York city, Eric Adams, who is the second Black Mayor in the city’s history, after the late David Dinkin.

Also celebrating the Month, St Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, New York, held a National Day for the African American and African Family, organised by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York Office of Black Ministry.

The event remembered the likes of Venerable Pierre Toussaint, a Black-born slave who became the father of Catholic charities in New York. He was instrumental in raising funds for the first Catholic orphanage and began the city’s first school for Black children.

In his homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Rev. Fr. Kareem Smith, urged African Americans to emulate Toussaint and reclaim their identity as black Christians.

Smith urged black Christians to reclaim their identity and hold onto Christ’s banner of justice in their service to God and humanity.

The priest said that the road for change always begins in the black Church where black Christians are known for transforming the society.

“We must not stop; we must reclaim the identity, our church is crying for leadership, the black Church must stand up to what we say we are,’’ he said.

Sharing in the sentiments of Smith, Prof. Apollos Nwauwa said often, people do not realise the contributions of African Americans to the development of the United States, stressing that their contributions provided the foundation of the U.S’s wealth.

Nwauwa, a U.S.-based historian and professor of African Studies, said that the impact and contributions of African Americans had been felt in all the sectors in the U.S.

“For instance, Nigerians are now an integral part of the United States, with salutary presence and impact in all facets of the American society.

“Apart from Indians, Nigerians are the most consequential immigrants in the U.S. based on the difference they make in many notable ways.

“One of the major areas of influence of Nigerians in the U.S. is the healthcare sector. Nigerian doctors, nurses and allied healthcare practitioners are the mainstay of U.S. healthcare delivery system.

“There is no single hospital in the U.S. that does not have a Nigerian in its service,’’ he said.

Nwauwa, a director of African Studies at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, U.S., said Nigerians had also been a major factor in the education sector, especially higher education.

“There is a saying that there is hardly any major university in the U.S. that does not have a Nigerian professor in its faculty,’’ he said.

As the 2022 Black History Month events end, historians say, as a big lesson, black and white Americans should unlearn the myths of America and the black stereotypes that bolstered those falsehoods.

To address the stereotypes, they say education remains a veritable tool for blacks in the U.S. to attain a level of social, political, and economic mobility that will earn them due respect among white Americans.

However, as more African Americans, augmented by their recent African immigrants, continue to gain spaces in the commanding heights of the US economy and politics, systemic racism and discrimination continues to be chipped away.