When I was in elementary and middle school, it seemed like the only time we talked about blacks was during the month of February. I can’t even recall reading about blacks in my history books. I felt like the teachers were trying to cram hundreds of years of information into one month. It was overwhelming and frustrating.

Teachers also seemed to only focus on the big names in the Civil Rights Movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. It was interesting learning about those individuals, but there are so many other blacks that made a difference. Before King, Booker T. Washington encouraged blacks to better themselves and W.E.B. DuBois advocated for black rights. Before Oprah, there was Madam C.J. Walker, the first black female to become a self-made millionaire. George Washington Carver discovered more than 300 uses for peanuts and Jackie Robinson broke down racial barriers in Major League Baseball. It would have been a privilege to learn more about these individuals as well as other blacks and their accomplishments.

Peanut butter, potato chips, the traffic signal, the ironing board and the mailbox are a few of many inventions blacks have contributed to society, which we use in our everyday life. Eventually these things probably would have been created, but they may have been a long time coming. We can honor the inventors by simply thinking about them every time we use something they invented or by passing this knowledge onto others.

Blacks fought long and hard for their rights. They had to fight for the right to vote, the right to be considered as equals among others, the right to go to the same school and the right to sit where they’d like on buses and in restaurants. They have been and continue to be victims of injustice and discrimination. Blacks, as well as other racial groups, have played a major role in building and bettering this country. Don’t they deserve a little more time and attention than the shortest month of the year?

It troubles me that other racial groups — despite having a month dedicated to them — receive little recognition.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month and November is Native American Indian Heritage Month. America is a melting pot of races, cultures and ethnicities, and each has and continues to contribute. Why not give these months the same attention that we give Black History Month?

Jewish women played a major role in the feminist movement. Thousands of Chinese helped build the Transcontinental Railroad. It is estimated that more than 400,000 Hispanics and about 45,000 Native Americans served in the Army during World War II.

What would America be like if various racial groups didn’t participate in these historic events? I imagine it would’ve taken longer for women to earn equal opportunities and respect. The Transcontinental Railroad may have never been completed, and we might not have won World War II.

So I encourage you to keep these dates in mind and to celebrate all of the aforementioned racial groups, as well as others.

We cannot properly understand U.S. history unless we learn about the history of the racial, ethnic and cultural groups that contributed to America. It is important to understand where we come from in order to know where we are going. If we don’t, we may make the same mistakes, and the consequences could be greater than before.

Keiara Tenant is a State News staff writer. Reach her at tennan10@msu.edu.