Editorial: Black History Month acknowledges the contributions to our communities

February is Black History Month.

It is a time when we stop and take a moment to recognize the role Black people have played in the building of our country. From America’s earliest days, Black people were an integral part of the architecture of the nation — whether it was appreciated or not.

The failure to acknowledge that contribution is what made Black History Month vital. It’s easy to overlook — if not actively dismiss — what we don’t realize.

Black History Month today may get tarred with a “woke” brush. It is “politically correct,” some will say. It is all about DEI — the catchall acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. It is about whiny liberals exorcising their guilt.

Except that isn’t true.

The first president to proclaim a national Black History Month was Republican Gerald Ford in 1976. The recognition has grown through GOP and Democratic presidents alike, taking this one month to encourage us to remember that people of all colors were bricks in the foundation of America.

It is just as important to remember they built Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh and the communities throughout the region, too.

We must remember what August Wilson gave to theater. We must remember what Charles “Teenie” Harris taught us about photography. We must remember what Josh Gibson did on the baseball diamond for the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays.

We need to remember that Head Start programs that benefit children and their parents across the country owe something to Pearl Harris in Washington. We must remember Robert Vann’s work not only as one of just five Black lawyers in Pittsburgh, but also his instrumental role as publisher of the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the most prominent Black newspapers in the country.

The history of labor in Pittsburgh is also the history of Black labor. The story of music in Pennsylvania is a harmony with the story of Black music. They are not white advancements shaded by Black contributions. Our arts, our sciences, our technology, our education — all of these are truly “ours” because they marry the contributions of people of all colors.

These are things we should remember in May and in August and a random Thursday in October. But in February, each year, we make a concerted effort.