NC celebrates Black History Month amid debate about diversity, equity and inclusion
North Carolina kicked off the celebration of Black History Month on Saturday amid a heated national debate about the role of diversity and the teaching of Black history in American society.
Diversity, equity and inclusion policies have come under fire, even more so since the Trump administration took office. But organizers of the state-sponsored 24th Annual African American Cultural Celebration in downtown Raleigh say it’s more necessary than ever to celebrate Black History Month.
Thousands of people attended Saturday’s celebration, which was moved to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences due to the renovations that have closed the N.C. Museum of History. Through exhibits and speakers, attendees learned about the contributions that African Americans have made throughout North Carolina’s history.
The celebration is considered to be the state’s official kick-off to Black History Month in February.
“Regardless of what’s going on in the world, it’s important for us to gather together,” Adrienne Nirdé, director of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, said in an interview Saturday. “We are still here, and African American history is American history. So we are here to tell it.”
DEI under attack
Supporters of DEI programs say they are needed to address historic inequities that impact women and minorities in the country. But critics say DEI promotes discrimination.
In a related issue, critics have accused public schools and universities of promoting Critical Race Theory by discussing the issue of systemic racism. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis barred the use of the Advanced Placement African American Studies course because he said it violates a state law on how race can be taught in schools.
Multiple states have passed laws putting limits on how race can be discussed in public schools.
In May, the UNC System Board of Governors repealed DEI requirements that required each of the system’s 17 campuses to employ a chief diversity officer, and adopt diversity-related goals.
On Thursday, Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and State Auditor Dave Boliek announced that they had directed their agencies to remove all internal DEI policies that had previously been in place. Their announcement came only a few days after President Donald Trump signed an executive order removing DEI policies from all federal government agencies.
The U.S. Department of Education said its ongoing work to eliminate DEI initiatives is its “first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools.”
Cycle of history
Trump’s executive order called on federal agencies to eliminate all DEI and environmental justice positions.
Environmental justice was the focus of the African American Cultural Celebration in 2022. The opposition in 1982 to the placement of a hazardous waste landfill in a predominantly African American community in Warren County is often cited as the birth of the environmental justice movement.
Valerie Ann Johnson, chair of the N.C. African American Heritage Commission. said they can’t ignore what has occurred in history.
“All that we can do is be able to have the narrative, to be able to talk about what happened,” Johnson said in an interview. “So I don’t get caught up in, is this a diversity move?”
History is cyclical, Johnson said, so what they’re doing each year at the African American Cultural Celebration is to show how Black people responded to the challenges they faced during their lifetime.
“We can’t ignore that white supremacy is a part of U.S. history and culture,” Johnson said. “But we also need to know what does that mean. You just don’t throw out the words you say. ‘What does it mean?’”
William Hollowell has become a regular at the annual celebration as a member of the 35th United States Colored Troops interpretive unit. Hollowell and other volunteers at the unit, based at Tryon Palace in New Bern, come to honor the legacy of their ancestors who fought for their freedom during the U.S. Civil War.
“In some way, form, shape or fashion, history repeats,” Hollowell said in an interview. “So in order for this part of history not to repeat. we have to remind, remember, understand again, reach back in the history and know how to go forward.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2025 at 5:47 PM.
