There’s long been a joke in the Black community that of course Black History Month was designated for February, the shortest month. Well, Michigan GOP candidate for governor, Austin Chenge, is calling for a total end to Black History Month.
A veteran, entrepreneur and conservative Republican, Chenge is also African, hailing from Nigeria.
“I will cancel #BlackHistoryMonth in #Michigan,” Chenge announced in an Instagram post. “It’s offensive, unfair, maybe illegal… Americans from all backgrounds deserve a revered history. I’ll declare American History Month.”
What Chenge does not mention is that there is also an American Indian Heritage Month (November), Asian Pacific Heritage Month (May), Irish-American Heritage Month (March) and Jewish American Heritage Month (May), among other heritage months, according to the Library of Congress.
Black History Month, which serves as an opportunity to celebrate Black accomplishments, has been celebrated since 1970. Since then, there have been critics such as actor Morgan Freeman, who called the month-long celebration “ridiculous”. Freeman suggested that Black history is American history during a 2005 60 Minutes interview.
Conservative radio host Jesse Lee Peterson said in February 2020 that it was time to abandon Black History Month because it hinders Black Americans from moving forward. The host of the national radio show “The Jesse Lee Peterson Show” and “The Fallen State” TV web series tweeted, “It’s time to bury #BlackHistoryMonth. It’s a tool to keep Blacks angry about the past. They celebrate bad Blacks, while hiding the truth about decent men like Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver & others. Wake up Black people! #BlackHistoryMonth2020 #BlackExcellence.”
Chenge’s stance, however, comes from a MAGA point of view — one that dismisses Black Lives Matter over All Lives Matter. Many people seem to agree with Chenge, who declared his candidacy in March 2020. His post about Black History Month has garnered more than 1,000 likes and supportive comments.
The Michigan election for governor is planned in 2022
Chenge is a graduate of the School of Law at the University of Birmingham England. Among his business ventures in his first startup, Holla@Me/Holla.com (now sold) in the U.K. He also designed the popular “Wazobia tricycle” in 2016, designed to improve the lives of African farmers. Its fat-tire design makes it easy to maneuver over farmland, BellaNaija reported.
Since 2018, Chenge has been serving with the U.S. military as a specialist. He was decorated with the Achievement Medal as a Distinguished Honour Graduate with a cumulative grade point average of 99.8 percent and for exceptional performance while on active duty.
