I came across the story of Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 32-year-old filmmaker who documented his one-man, cross-country campaign to end Black History Month on Facebook. It seems like a question that rolls around in the black community every February — what does it mean that recognizing black history is relegated to the coldest and shortest month of the year? Shouldn’t “black history” be incorporated into “American history”? Tilghman’s movie, More Than A Month looks at these questions through an earnest and comedic lens.

I had the pleasure of speaking with the Tilghman for a Q&A with The Root (he was insightful and witty over the phone despite being sick). The interview has generated a lot of buzz on the site (251 Facbeook likes and 432 comments/tweets thus far), but space constraints didn’t allow for readers to see the entirety of our conversation. Although I make it a point to avoid reading comments online, I felt I needed to at least make the full interview available to address these critiques: Tilghman isn’t a self-hating black man and he does understand the importance of recognizing black history. He’s just presented a counterpoint to what black history means to African Americans and America and wonders out loud what the next step is, while the rest of us pass through February in a red, black and green fog.

What we’re talking about is not ending it because it’s passe, or because it’s irrelevant or anything like that. It’s because the ultimate goal is to not need a Black History Month… It’s sort of like giving someone a crutch for a certain amount of time. The goal is not to keep the crutch, the goal is to get rid of the crutch so you can walk.

For the full interview (with a few edits here and there for clarity sake), read on…

The Root: What is the history of Black History Month?
Shukree Hassan Tilghman: It began as a week in 1926. It was [originally] called Negro History Week, it was begun by historian and author Carter G. Woodson. He was the second African American to receive a PhD in history from Harvard. It became a month in 1976. Really people started celebrating it as a month before that, but Gerald Ford was the first president to proclaim a first Black History Month in 1976.

TR: What has been your own experience with Black History Month?
SHT: I loved Black History Month growing up. I would say it’s a sense of empowerment and a sense of pride. I always looked to these people as superheros, especially the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. I thought they were almost super human. It wasn’t until I became an adult, that I started to look around and [see] Heineken’s got a “Celebrate Black History Month ” ad on the bus. Like, alright, maybe that’s cool, but in a certain way I felt that the continued existence of Black History Month was being condescended to in a certain way. That maybe the month was contributing to a perception that the history wasn’t American or somehow not as important as some other American history. That’s when I started questioning.

TR: What do you think of Black History Month now?
SHT: I don’t think it’s all bad. I think that there are legitimate reasons for the continued celebration of Black History Month . The institution does great things. There are great programs that are out there. There’s also totally ridiculous programs that have nothing to do with history. I guess the bottom line is it’s always going to be sort of a mixed bag. How you feel about that sort of depends on where you sit.

TR: What do you think it means that it’s 2012 and we’re still celebrating Black History Month?
SHT: I think it means that we’ve let ourselves off the hook a little, especially as African Americans. That we’ve allowed a situation to continue in which—at least in schools, maybe not in society—we know there’s a lack of teaching of African-American History. We’ve allowed Black History Month to be the sort of band aid. We should question what that means now. I think it also means that the celebration of black history at any given time is important to people, or it wouldn’t still be around. I think it can actually be two things at once, whether one agrees with my previous statement or not.

TR: When did you begin thinking about doing a documentary calling for the end of Black History Month?
SHT: In 2005, I saw Morgan Freeman on 60 Minutes.That was the first time I saw someone talk about this need for Black History Month or at least be critical of it in public. I started thinking about my own experience with Black History Month and wanted to make a film about it. To start, I thought it would be a good idea to start with a strong opinion and see where the journey took me from there.

TR: What were people’s reactions to the idea of ending Black History Month?
SHT: Some people react with straight-up anger. My parents who are in the film certainly did not react well upon hearing what the documentary proposed. But I think by the end of the film, even if people disagree, the film is really a journey exploring this issue. It explores all different sides of the argument. And ultimately it becomes not so much whether or not we should have a Black History Month , but it really becomes an examination of what it means to have a Black History Month in 2012. What does that say about our American story and how we treat it? …What would we have to do – Black people and indeed all Americans – [to show that we] didn’t need a Black History Month in order for these stories to be properly exposed.

TR: Why do you think the idea of ending it is so controversial?
SHT: There is a lot of attachment to Black History Month. I think it causes a sort of strong reaction. At a time when people thought we had no history at all, that there was nothing to talk about, nothing worth writing down…out of that comes Negro History Week. Then it [becomes] Black History Month. So there’s a lot of emotion and there’s a lot of valid reasons to feel an attachment to Black History Month for what it is. I would just like to say that [ending] Black History Month is not counter to that mission, it’s just a continuation of the same struggle.

TR: How did young people versus older generations respond to your campaign?
SHT: They were much more open generally speaking. I think their experience of Black History Month is different. I literally came of age as Black History Month was coming of age. It started in 1976, I was born in 1979. I think a lot of people my age group and younger have had an attachment to Black History Month and February. Black History Month for a lot of us is the McDonald’s placemats, the posters in the hallway… It means something different for younger people than older people. One is not more valid than the other, it’s just they have a different experience.

TR: What would you say that different experience is?
SHT: In terms of numbers, I would say younger people weren’t any more for ending Black History Month than older people. They didn’t have such a visceral reaction when talking about Black History Month. My mother went to a segregated school until the 6th grade where black history and Negro History Week meant a lot. They used a Woodson textbook. They got history all year and that week was something to look forward to. And then she goes to an integrated school and there’s nothing, so all she got was Negro History Week at an integrated school. Someone with that history is going to react a lot differently than someone whose history with Black History Month is a McDonald’s placemat.

TR: In a clip from the documentary, there’s a scene where you have an epiphany about Black History Month while at Carter G. Woodson’s organization, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Can you describe that epiphany for us?
SHT: That comes toward the end of the film. I just felt like it was a big moment in the film. I finally came to a place where I understand what it means to have a history now and why that’s important. I have a clearer understanding of what Woodson’s original intentions were. I’ve come to the conclusion that having a Black History Month is a way to be recognized of course. But what we’re talking about is not ending it because it’s passe, or because it’s irrelevant or anything like that. It’s because the ultimate goal is to not need a Black History Month. Black History Month is a tool to expose this history but it wasn’t created to be the panacea. It’s sort of like giving someone a crutch for a certain amount of time. The goal is not to keep the crutch, the goal is to get rid of the crutch so you can walk.

TR: What were some of the most meaningful moments you experienced during your year of making the film?
SHT: There’s so many! Being inside Woodson’s personal library and archives, which are held at Emory University. We didn’t really get a chance to show much of it, but it was really sort of moving to be in the room with all his books and all the things he did. It’s just amazing to sort of see the evidence of someone. And no one really knows that much about Carter G. Woodson. They know of The Mis-education of the Negro because it became popular again years ago. But this guy literally created a field (African American history)! I mean, I think that’s amazing! He created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. He goes all around the world to collect evidence of the African diaspora and their histories. He compiled all these scholarly journals; it’s now called the Journal of African American History and it is still the oldest running periodical of its kind. It was just amazing to be around all the research that he pulled together. He dedicated his life to make sure that people knew that black people did something.

TR: What did you learn about how Black History Month is taught in schools?
SHT: To be honest, we had a small sample size. I would say in our experience with the film, the consistent response is that people feel there’s still a lack of exposure of African Americans in history. We talked to an textbook educational policy expert. One of the things he said was teacher textbooks from my parents’ age to now are a lot different. There’s the presence of women, the story of the Native Americans is told a lot differently..there’s a lot of progress. But it’s still overwhelmingly dominated by white men and it’s overwhelmingly Eurocentric for valid reasons and for some not so valid reasons. For the most part, most people still view most of their concentration on African-American history or that aspect of American history in February. That’s just the way it is. Which is a good reason why people don’t want it to go away!

TR: What do you think is the solution to the problem your film brings up: that Black History is American history and should be taught year-round?
SHT: I don’t think there’s any one magic solution. I think there are both small and large solutions and individual and collective solutions. I’ll give a couple of examples from the film. I think Philadelphia’s mandatory [African-American history] course is not perfect. There’s a lot of reasons not to like it, but it is a step in the right direction. And I think it does represent people taking it upon themselves in a regional setting to say we recognize a lack of something and we’re going to try to correct it. This is the best way to fix this. But that’s example of citywide change. There’s also individual change. My mother ended up moving her play out of February. In Philadelphia there’s a big event called the African-American History Expo. It’s very well-attended at the convention center every year at the end of February for 15 years. The organizer just decided on his on at great risk to move it to Easter weekend. The only reason he gave was because he just wanted to see this history talked about, perceived and explored outside of February. He didn’t want to contine to sit in a box.

What I that hope people walk away with there is something you can do. Even if you just decide to pick up a book on the way home and teach your kid. Or you’re going to get with the PTA and see how your kid’s history book is written. Anything. Do something! As filmmakers we created a mobile map, we call it more than a More than a Map(p). It uses your phone and points you in the direction of the nearest location relevant to African-American history in your immediate vicinity. You can click on it and find directions to it, links, video, information, etc. Because we can’t cover the whole map ourselves, it allows you to upload points. Once those points are vetted by a history they become a part of the app, so it becomes a collaborative map-building process.

TR: Do you think we’ve reached a point where we don’t need Black History Month?
SHT: The notion that we wait til there is a point is a little backwards. I think that you create a time. There is no such thing as waiting for a time and then doing something. You create that time, you create the world you want to exist in.

Visit www.morethanamonth.org for information on screenings in your area.

As one grows up, certain personality traits can coalesce into undeniable truths about a person. Take me for example. My natural gregariousness and ease around strangers translates into undeniable Anthonia Akitunde truth #43: I’m really good in interviews.

Job hunting in New York has afforded me the opportunity to see this truth in action. Since I moved here in February of last year, I have been on [starts counting on fingers] 11 interviews. I have 26 different cover letters all trumpeting my online, social media and print skills, reassuring “To whom it may concern” that I would be a great addition to [insert media company here]‘s staff. Unfortunately, when it comes to steady, full-time, 401k providing , health and dental benefits-giving employment  I am always an interviewee and never a hire.

But hey, in these hard economic times, that’s the story for me, you, and every one we know, right? And it hasn’t exactly all been fruitless. I finally found my way into WNYC (my second through fourth, then eighth, interview in the city) after meeting with the business and economics editor in late December. Starting January 24, I’ll be doing as-needed per-diem work for the station’s business department, which is amazing. This new gig brings my count up to four big-name outlets I’m doing some type of work for: Fast Company, The New York Times, Bloomberg Businesseweek and now WNYC.

Which brings us to Anthonia Akitunde undeniable truth #76: I’m the definition of a hustler.

Seeing these friends and strangers court success — instead of waiting for it to come to them in the form of a job interview — has inspired me to pursue a life-long dream of mine. I’m not quite ready to divulge just what that is yet, but I’m applying for grants, coming up with a business plan and giving myself six months to make something happen. Because what’s the point of waiting any more? The clear path to success that used to be preached from the pulpit behind teacher’s desks no longer exists.

Photo credit: Uli Seit for The New York Times.

For as long as I can remember, there were two institutions that held considerable significance for me. One was Harvard (Poppa Akitunde recalls me telling him during my elementary school years that I was going to go there) and the other was the Grey Lady herself, the New York Times.

While I traded up in terms of higher education (GO MAROONS!), my fascination with the Times remained. As far as most people are concerned, it is the paper of record, still printing all the news that’s fit to print while acting as a leader in the way news is read online.

So you can imagine my delight when my Hail Mary toss of my resume to the Times deputy real estate editor got a response. And lo, my glee when a pitch about an Astoria family reshaping their neighborhood through luxury apartments and amenities was picked up. But to see my name in that familiar font on newsprint? Or to click on a NYTimes.com link that takes me to words I wrote? I mean… there are literally no words. Or, really, there are words… but they aren’t fit to print on this blog

Click the picture or this link for my first (and hopefully not the last) New York Times article.

Like every Halloween before it, this year’s batch of costumes had the usual play on words and pop cultural references (I was the Black Swan in case you were wondering). But the all-too-common practice of wearing racially insensitive costumes went viral thanks to an Ohio University student organization’s ad campaign called, “We are a culture, not a costume.” You can see some of the posters above.

The powerful campaign — and a troubling encounter I had in a bar two weeks before All Hallowed Eve — led me to write an essay to speculate what people who dress in blackface and present racial stereotypes are getting out of the experience. A friend came up with the concept of “disposal blackness” which I thought was a great way to put it: in some cases, the person is getting to participate in a fetishized and commercialized culture without having to think much about what it means to be of that race/culture beyond November 1. I pitched the essay to The Root DC, an affiliate of the Washington Post focused on black news, and it ran on their homepage on October 28!

Read my thoughts here and let me know what you think of the post in the comments section!