Black History Month - How to Properly Observe It

 I am writing this because I was reminded that this month is Black History Month.  There is nothing at all wrong with that, as Blacks are a significant part of the American population and they have made contributions to our history and society that deserve recognition.   Think of that peanut butter sandwich you may be having for lunch, for instance - a Black scientist, George Washington Carver, invented that delicious spread from ground peanuts, and I think most of us would agree that a Reese's Cup is one of the best candy bars ever.  However, instead of focusing on positive contributions many Black Americans have made, you have troublemakers in society that want to politicize this idea, and when they do it is often to the exclusion to others, and can degenerate into anti-American radicalism.  Instead of treating Black American history as a separate side dish on the menu, why don't we see it instead as part of the rich recipe that makes up the American legacy?  That would be my contention. 

Also, let's face it - many of us who have this designation of American are a mixed genetic bag - many Blacks have White ancestors, and likewise many Whites (myself included) have Black ancestors too.  This means that racist agitators on both sides might want to rethink their attitudes a little bit, because many of us are not as "pure" as some around us want to think.  This too has a spiritual dimension too - think of America as a picture of Romans 12:4-5.  While those verses talk about the Church, it also does to a degree apply to us as a nation as well. Think of a human body, which is the allegory this Scripture passage uses - would you prefer an ear over an eye, or a foot over a hand?  It would not be a practical decision would it?  Your eye has a function, your ear has a function, and both the hand and the foot have different functions too.  One cannot do what the other does, which makes them all equally important. That is how we should be as a nation - a lot of different people, of different backgrounds and ethnicities, built this nation, and all should be celebrated.  The Church is the same way - the very word Catholic means "universal," which means it is made up of all nations.  So, to be either Catholic or American means that we are in a unique place - we come from things that have a lot of ingredients in the recipe, and each ingredient contributes to the overall flavor.  And, that is where I want to go now, a cooking lesson with a theological application. 

On my culinary blog page, I have posted a number of my recipes over the years, but perhaps the most ambitious recipe I have is my chicken soup.  The way I make that soup is by finely processing a lot of diverse vegetables - I use celery, bok choy, napa cabbage, green onions, small carrots, cherry tomatoes, wild garlic and/or ramps, fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme, etc., parsnips, and in recent years I have decided to add things like Filipino moringa.  When I am preparing this soup, I finely chop all that with some seasonings until it resembles a paste, and then I add them to a huge stock pot with chicken stock, spring water, white verjuice, lemon, and olive oil.  Then, I add finely diced, lightly sauteed chicken breast,  and I simmer that for about two hours before adding bowtie (farfalle) pasta to finish it.  Add some grated Romano cheese before serving, and it is a rich delicious meal.  You don't see the individual ingredients in the soup, but you taste how they each contribute to it, and that is what makes this soup very appetizing and satisfying as a meal in itself.  And, as I discover new ingredients to add to it, the soup has a deeper, richer taste.   Look at my soup as being like our nation and the Church too - the different ingredients are not able to be readily seen in the soup itself, but you can see how they taste together and how they compliment each other.   That is the perfect metaphor of America too - what makes us unique is what brings us together.  In this age of polarized politics, especially from the ideological Left, we forget that, and what we have is a bunch of mangled raw vegetables which are not prepared and they don't taste well together because one flavor is trying to dominate the others and you will choke if you try to eat them all like that at once.  The society we live in today is becoming more like that instead of like a rich, hearty soup that is prepared with care and time.  And, that is where I want to give final thoughts.

It is perfectly fine to celebrate Black History Month, but if we do, we need to celebrate it in a way that it doesn't isolate Black Americans, but rather celebrates how they contributed their various gifts and talents to what it means to be American.  If we were to actually do that, we would have the most peaceful, cohesive society on earth.  Yet, we would also be like a rich soup - full of flavor and working together to enhance the whole.  It is time we do this, and with that I give my thoughts on Black History Month today.  Thank you for letting me share, and may you have a good week for the remainder of it.