Why African American History is Important

From this course I hope to gain a better understanding of the history of African-Americans. I want to know more about their past, their achievements, their struggles, their ideals, their impact on American culture and so on.
My favorite African-American personality is Malcolm X. I think he is the most articulate and thoughtful African-American in the 20th century and he has a great deal of power and conviction in his words. As a Civil Rights leader he was a non-conformist: he did not ascribe to the same methods and ideals as Martin Luther King, Jr. Instead, he followed the Prophet Elijah Mohammed and joined the Nation of Islam. But then he left them when he realized his leader was not being honest about his own life. Malcolm X grew up like a thug, but during his time in prison he underwent a conversion that affected him mentally and spiritually—so there is quite a story to his life.
In my view, it is important to study and learn about African-American history for a number of reasons: 1) it is so intertwined with the history of America; America’s history has to include a history of African-Americans, just as it should include a history of Jewish-American, Italian-Americans, German-Americans, Irish-Americans, Asian-Americans and so on. 2) African-Americans have a lot to teach us—whether through their works, their words, their actions, or their life stories. There are so many great ones that it is helpful to our own lives to develop a deeper sense of theirs. 3) Today’s American culture—its music, its attitudes, its beliefs—stem in some way from the contributions of African-American culture. There is a lot that we can know about ourselves as general Americans by studying sub-cultures within the overall national culture: it is like examining an origin story.