When February rounds the corner each year, the purpose of Black History Month is rudely challenged — as if us black folk haven’t faced enough obstacles — and the significance behind our history and reasons for celebrating it are disputed.

There’s nothing wrong with retweeting an Ida B. Wells quote or sharing a Martin Luther King sentiment on your timeline, but if you really want to celebrate Black History Month, action is crucial. Society is riddled with clicktivism, the use of social media as a means of supporting social justice issues with little involvement. Now’s as important a time as ever to be proactive about our involvements, online and off.

Herbert Ruffin, associate professor and chair of history in the African American Studies department at Syracuse University, recommends remaining strong and true to the central themes of this month: “direct action, self-critical reflection and celebration.”

Ruffin said the essence of Black History Month is people coming together to forge connections and understand one another on a deeper, more personal level.

With social media at our fingertips, forming connections is accessible. But Ruffin warns of falling into iconography traps, which happen so often now that we can repost and share anything.

While emulating black icons is an important component of socio-political discourse, Ruffin said the conversation needs to become proactive at addressing issues consciously and working toward greater awareness.

Now is the perfect time to turn Ruffin’s words into action by acknowledging and expanding awareness of black history in Syracuse. Students can celebrate Black History Month by getting involved in the community and making a change. Maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about yourself — or even better, someone else.

The “Cuse for Good: Social Justice” event, sponsored by University Union in partnership with the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Student Association, will be held Saturday, and is sure to be incredible. The day-long event includes a panel featuring Yara Shahidi of “Black-ish” and rapper Joey Bada$$, among others.

Give back to the community by buying your own ticket to Marvel’s “Black Panther” and a ticket for a child in Harlem. The Boys and Girls Club of Harlem created a GoFundMe page to provide tickets for black children to see the superhero film. Representation in any art form is vital for children, especially children of color, and this endeavor is sure to make a lot of children see themselves represented in a positive light. By seeing superheroes they can identify with, perhaps these children will be inspired to become one.

You can also catch a screening and discussion of the Ferguson documentary “Whose Streets?” on Feb. 22 at the Community Art Folk Center in Syracuse. The discussion will be led by Casarae Gibson, an assistant professor in the African American Studies department at SU, and focus on the police murder of Michael Brown and its effects on those who experienced the following protests.

In light of all the incredible ways to get involved, it’s important to make time for reflection. Growing up, I don’t remember learning about my ancestors’ history, because it wasn’t a part of course curriculums. The whitewashed history textbooks and lectures used in class barely touched on African American history, and discussion on slavery was limited. Even then, that discussion directly focused on the economic benefits of slavery, with no regard of the trauma inflicted on the people who built this country we now call home.

If students don’t take the time to remember and celebrate the triumphs, hardships and accomplishments of African Americans, it’ll be all the easier to believe textbook descriptions that enforce systemic racism. And if you saw any bit of “12 Years A Slave,” you know there was a lot more to it than just some cotton.

Camryn Simon is a freshman dual magazine journalism and Spanish major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at csimon01@syr.edu and followed on twitter @camsimon_.

Published on February 11, 2018 at 10:38 pm