Award-winning actor, Morgan Freeman, has serious reservations about the commemoration of Black History Month, the day set aside to remember important people and events in the African diaspora.
Speaking in a recent interview, he said the idea and the commemoration of the day make his “teeth itch”.
“I detest it…The mere idea of it. You are going to give me the shortest month in a year? And you are going to celebrate ‘my’ history?! This whole idea makes my teeth itch. It’s not right,” he was quoted.
The celebrated performer is also not happy about the use of the term African-American. Last year, he expressed similar sentiments saying the term is an “insult.”
“Two things I can say publicly that I do not like…Black History Month is an insult. You’re going to relegate my history to a month? Also ‘African-American’ is an insult. I don’t subscribe to that title.
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“…Everyone uses ‘African-American’, what does it really mean?… You say Africa as if it’s a country when it’s a continent, like Europe,” he told a Culture Magazine.
Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, also known as African-American History Month. It was formerly known as Negro History Month before 1976.
It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, initially lasting a week before becoming a month-long observation since 1970.
It is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada, where it has received official recognition from governments. It has more recently been celebrated in Ireland and the United Kingdom where it is observed in October.
