Graphic by Bell Jackson.
By Zoe Hall
As I’m sure many of you are aware, February is Black History Month.
With the events of the past year, I think it is so vital to take the opportunity that has been presented to us and learn something about it.
Growing up school, as a student at a primarily white school, I was taught almost nothing about Black people or their history or their culture. For the most part, it felt very much like bullet points, but it never sat right with me.
I teach myself about Black history because I want to be a better ally to the Black community. There are so many people that we were never told about in elementary school. History, especially in the United States, is written for white people. And so, I didn’t know really just the Black narrative of most historical events.
Recently, I have found myself diving deep into Black stories and I listened to a podcast about the world’s first Black military pilot, Eugene Bullard.
He was the son of a Black man and an Indigenous woman in Georgia. Bullard eventually ran away to Virginia, where he was able to sail to Scotland.
Bullard was an actor in London and trained with the famous Dixie Kid in France. Bullard eventually went on to fight alongside France in World War I and II.
When he was wounded in World War II, Bullard was sent to New York. After his death, France made him a Knight of the Légion d’honneur, and was called a “true French hero” by General Charles de Gaulle. In 1989, nearly thirty years after his death, he was inducted into the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.
This was just one story of many Black people who were left out of history class, but everyone has a story worth telling.
Ariel Hall is a writer for The Alabamian. She is a senior communication studies major and enjoys reading and photography in her free time. Previously, Zoe has acted as editor in chief, lifestyles editor and advice columnist.
