A Black History Month reflection
by Joseph Page
Black History Month is a time when many remember black advocates who made sacrifices for equality, peace, and the betterment of the future. While well-known figures such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks feature strongly in the fabric of American history, Booker T. Washington is one individual worthy of remembrance not only because of his race, but more importantly, because he believed in the ability of blacks to succeed by their own merits, despite the obstacles they faced.
Although Booker T. Washington was born in Virginia during slavery, his most profound influence was a woman named Viola Ruffner, a schoolteacher who was born in, of all places, Arlington, Vermont. Following emancipation, Washington worked in her household where he learned the principles of self-reliance, hard work, and above all else, the appreciation for education. With Viola’s encouragement, Washington eventually attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, graduating in 1875 with honors.
Booker T. Washington went on to establish Tuskegee University. The institution was built by students, and offered training in trades such as cooking, carpentry, printing, and shoemaking. Washington also hired George Washington Carver to teach students agricultural skills. Both Carver and Washington believed that, given proper training and the appropriate opportunities, blacks could indeed become self-supporting, and make their own way forward to achieve whatever objectives they desired.
Washington’s vision of black achievement contrasts strongly with an ideology I vehemently oppose: critical race theory. This cancerous agenda emphasizes race and causes division by categorizing people into two groups, oppressor and oppressed. Whites fall into the former category, minorities into the latter. Blacks and other minorities are conditioned to accept that, simply due to their skin color, America will never be a country in which they can advance, or transform their dreams into a reality. Such a doctrine does nothing to remind blacks of the many ways in which they overcame the adversities they faced.
Booker T. Washington’s ideals of hard work and self-sufficiency inspire me today. While the injustices of slavery and segregation are part of our country’s history, I believe it is equally important to recognize how blacks conquered those obstacles. Anyone, regardless of color or circumstance, is capable of attaining success.
The author is a Montpelier resident, son of VDC Publisher Guy Page, and brother of Managing Editor Tim Page.