Is Black History Month getting watered down?
Black History Month: Come February, the now-familiar observance seems to inspire ever more — and ever more random — celebrations. The players are both big and small. Multinational corporations mount billboard campaigns, while community centers hold fashion shows and tourist spots highlight their connection to black history. But does saturation equal success? While the concept of Black History Month has been widely embraced in pop culture, it means some of the nation’s most bitter history also is getting watered down into cliches or irrelevance. Some events have no historical tie-in at all — they’re merely topics of interest to African-Americans. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, black history is used as a kind of commercial brand, which can feel off-key. “It has become very mainstream,” said Sheri Parks, a professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland. “I do think it’s been diluted. Some of this seems like an excuse to put things on sale.” At Drexel University in Philadelphia,
