Dr. Vicki Calhoun, Fullerton Union High School District trustee, and David Crockett, a trustee on the Rancho Santiago Community College District Board

Since 1976, when February was officially recognized in the U.S. as Black History Month, critics of the observance have run in two general directions – those who say focus on the brutal history of the African American experience is divisive, and those who say limiting recognition of contributions made by African Americans to a single month is insufficient and disrespectful.

A panel discussion of Black History Month at a meeting of local Democrats on Feb. 1st focused on the observance as a celebration of Black American achievement. Moderating the panel was activist and politico Andre Charles, who welcomed two Black elected officials to the discussion – Dr. Vicki Calhoun, Fullerton Union High School District trustee, and David Crockett, a trustee on the Rancho Santiago Community College District Board.

“I didn’t grow up with Black History in West Virginia,” said Crockett. “It wasn’t until I got to college that I began hearing stories of Black achievement that blew my mind.”

America’s long history of systemic racism, particularly against its African American citizens, dates back hundreds of years. “The cargo ships that followed the first European arrivals were full of slaves,” said Crockett.

Dr. Vicki Calhoun grew up in Fullerton and remembers being called the “N” word as a child and didn’t know what it meant. Her mother told her not to worry about it. “I knew the ticket to success was going to be a good education, and I got that in Fullerton, said Calhoun, who befriended former Fullerton City Council members Sharon Quirk-Silva and Pam Keller on the drill team. Quirk-Silva currently represents Fullerton in the State Assembly.

“My grandfather marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, and my uncle was a pallbearer at the funeral of Senator Robert Kennedy,” said Calhoun. “I know who I am, and I walk tall every day.”

The origins of Black History Month came from a need to tell the story of African Americans who were left out of the “sea to shining sea” versions of our history. Not even the Civil War brought the contributions of Black Americans to the national consciousness. The History Channel tells the story of Harvard grad Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland who founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH)in 1912. The organization was dedicated to researching and promoting the achievements of Black Americans. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s forced a reckoning of America’s treatment of its African American citizens, and in 1976, the official designation of February as Black History Month in America began.

“When I came to Southern California, I had to wrap my head around the freeway culture of LA and OC,” said Crockett. “There wasn’t a critical mass of Black people, so there were no mentors readily available.” Crockett allied himself with people who had common values even if they didn’t look like him. That put Crockett in listening mode, and he found out that he shared common ground.

“Black History is American History,” said Crockett. “It’s about learning to have the difficult conversations we need to have to move this country forward.”

In 2021, California became the first state to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement. Dr. Calhoun is hopeful and sees the coming implementation of Ethnic Studies as a big step in the right direction. Having young Americans learn about the contributions of marginalized communities to the development of the United States will no longer be limited to just one month of the year.

Andre Charles