Black History Month 'Hijacked' by Promoters of Victimization, Says Armstrong Williams
by Jim Brown and Jody Brown
February 9, 2004
(AgapePress) - A conservative TV and radio commentator says Black History Month has been taken over by those who stir up racial tension for a living.Black History Month was established in 1926 by Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson -- the "Father of Black History" -- when he and other African-American and white scholars launched "Negro History Week" so that Americans could reflect on the history and contributions of African Americans. In the 1970s, that week-long observance was expanded to include the entire month of February. Schools and communities nationwide celebrate the observance with special activities and gatherings.
| | 
Armstrong Williams |
But Armstrong Williams says even though this is Black History Month, he will celebrate February just like very other month. The syndicated columnist and talk-show host believes the month has been hijacked by "racial hucksters" who use it as a stage from which to shout about victimization and retribution, a mantra commonly used by those in the reparations movement."It would be nice if our civil rights leaders could use Black History Month as an occasion to cherish uniquely American history because black history is American history, while at the same time focusing on ways to move forward in this increasingly multi-cultural world," Williams says. "Instead, they merely shout into their megaphones the new narrative of the civil rights movement: victims all."
Williams, who is called "one of the most recognized conservative voices in America" by The Washington Post, says it is unfortunate that modern-day civil rights leaders use the month to blame whites for black-on-black crime and out-of-wedlock births instead of instilling responsibility and accountability in individuals.
"The civil rights movement was supposed to be about gaining equality and pushing issues of discrimination into the mainstream," he says. "Instead, it has been hijacked by those racial populists -- black and white liberals -- who make a living by encouraging blacks to regard themselves as victims."
To further illustrate his point, Williams quotes Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who once stated: "The rights revolution missed a larger point by merely changing their status from invisible to victimized."
Williams says the "blame racism and demand retribution" mindset has become a legal cottage industry in the U.S. He also believes that that same mentality is pervasive in most African-American studies programs at American universities.
The columnist's writings are distributed by Chicago Tribune Media, and his television program -- The Right Side with Armstrong Williams -- is distributed to 14 million homes on cable and network affiliates throughout America.
