When people talk about Black History Month, it often gets framed as an opportunity to look back. What were some major “firsts” that Black Americans were only afforded decades ago? What barriers did Black people have to overcome — and are still overcoming — to get ahead in a system shaped by racism? More often than not, Black history is treated as an add-on to America’s story, one filled only with suffering and despair and confined to a single, 28-day month each year.
While it is important to remember America’s racist past and the decades-old milestones of the Black community, because those moments have shaped the country we live in today, that cannot be the sole focus. Why? Because Black people’s stories did not end there, and Black influence on America is not something that can be isolated or confined. I can confidently say that Black American culture is American culture.
Black Americans have actively shaped the way America defines itself through culture, food, music, and language. Take language, for example. Phrases like “slay,” “clock it,” “period,” “spill the tea,” and nearly any other viral slang you can think of originated in Black communities. The internet often labels these expressions as “pop culture slang,” but doing so strips them of the culture they come from. The proper term for these phrases is AAVE — African American Vernacular English — a legitimate dialect that has existed for centuries. AAVE developed as enslaved and formerly enslaved people learned English under oppressive conditions, a speech pattern that was often unfairly dismissed as “broken” or “ignorant.” So the next time someone refers to these phrases as pop culture slang, it’s worth remembering that they are part of a real dialect spoken by millions of people.
The same pattern can be seen in fashion. What we now call mainstream “streetwear” didn’t originate on runways or in fashion shows. It began in Black urban neighborhoods as a form of self-expression and identity. Baggy jeans, oversized hoodies, sneakers, and chunky jewelry were once criticized and deemed unprofessional or inappropriate. Now, those same styles dominate runways and are celebrated as “high fashion” when done the right way. Luxury brands have taken styles that were once labeled as “ghetto” and rebranded them as trendy — which is fine, as long as America doesn’t forget where those styles came from.
Lastly, consider something that is globally unifying: music — hip-hop, specifically. Hip-hop began in the Bronx as a creative outlet and a form of storytelling. Today, it is the most dominant music genre in the United States. Because of its reach, when people both in America and internationally think about American music and culture, they often point to rap. But it’s important not to forget that artists like Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Tupac are Black Americans whose voices and experiences shaped that culture in the first place.
If these three areas — language, fashion, and music — teach us anything, it’s that Black culture is not something America occasionally borrows from. It is something America is built on. So during Black History Month, the conversation shouldn’t stop at what Black Americans contributed to the past. It should also recognize how Black culture continues to define the present. Black history isn’t confined to textbooks or a single month. It lives in the way we talk, the way we dress, and the music that plays in our headphones. every day.
