February is Black History Month, an event designed by Americans as a way to raise awareness of the rich history of a minority group which suffered great injustices at the hands of the majority.

As Bermuda gets set to honour its past, a familiar question arises -- does Black History Month merit observance in Bermuda where the population is predominantly black? Last year The Royal Gazette spoke to local black educators, Dale Butler, Dr.

Eva Hodgson and Dr. Donald Peters, about the importance of Black History Month in Bermuda.

The consensus was that while Black History Month served a symbolic purpose and helped to raise awareness -- black history needed to be taught in the context of world history, not in isolation.

"If history was taught in a comprehensive way, we wouldn't need to have a special month -- you wouldn't need to single out one group,'' remarked Dale Butler.

To mark Black History Month this year, The Royal Gazette spoke to two well-known individuals from the Island's largest minority groups to see how they viewed and felt about designating a special month towards one ethnic group.

*** "Black history Month traditionally has not been supported by the black community and it has fallen on deaf ears for the white community,'' said outspoken activist Sandy Frith-Brown.

Despite that fact, Mr. Frith-Brown maintained that celebrating Black History Month was "profoundly'' important for Bermuda.

"Black history has to be taught in the schools, but it has to be taught in perspective,'' he said. "It has to be taught in context of world history, but it is still important to teach it.

"Whites need to try to share with the black community this rich history.

"I don't think the white community has begun to face the issue,'' he said.

"We have to ask the black community for forgiveness and acknowledge what has happened in the past. Until they have been asked for forgiveness and listened to their story, there will be no forgiveness.'' Mr. Frith-Brown said that events like Black History Month served as an opportunity for the community to come together, learn from each other and share.

"If we don't have dialogue, we will never come up with a solution,'' he said.

"There needs to be two sides at the table.'' Yet he noted that there were many areas where the two cultures overlapped, like sports, music, foods and some traditions.

"We all love cricket, soccer, tennis and golf, and many of us enjoy the same music,'' he explained. "We all like to fly kites on Good Friday and enjoy the same foods at Easter and Christmas.

"There are small differences but we have many similarities.'' Mr. Frith-Brown also threw his support behind designating a month for the Island's other minority groups like the Portuguese.

"The Portuguese were treated no better,'' he pointed out. "We should have a month to honour the Portuguese heritage. We should also honour the West Indian culture because they make up a large portion of our population. A lot of Bermudians can trace their roots back to St. Kitts and Nevis.'' And the controversial activist noted that Portuguese should be taught in local school as an "enrichment'' course option.

"We have a lot of Portuguese here,'' he explained. "It is a live culture in Bermuda and it should be enjoyed to the fullest.

"Communication is the key,'' he added. "We need dialogue to inform each other of the richness of each other's culture.'' *** While acknowledging that events like Black History Month had the potential to raise awareness, educator and well-known Portuguese activist Anna Faria maintained that these observances were ineffective unless they were backed up with action.

"There's too many token events happening to make people think that things are happening when they really aren't,'' Ms Faria explained. "It only adds to the problem.

"If you are recognising someone's culture, you shouldn't just play lip-service to it, it has to be backed up with action.'' And she insisted that organisers of special events needed to let people from that culture speak for themselves.

"Sometimes it can be patronising the way some people box a culture into a mould when they feel like it.'' And Ms Faria noted that the home was perhaps the most fertile ground where cultural awareness could grow in Bermuda.

"It is important for people to be in touch with their own culture,'' she said. "And it all really starts at home. The best way to learn about your heritage, culture and traditions is from your family and elders.

"If it is not happening in the home, then children should be able to get it from school.'' Ms Faria pointed out that the Island's schools were an ideal tool in the quest to raise awareness about various cultures. However, she said that in many instances the power of the classroom was not fully utilised.

Black History Month "Black history Month shouldn't be trivialised,'' she insisted. "Some schools do a great job of covering it and some leave it up to the individual teachers to decide whether they want to mark it. Some teachers will make an effort, some won't.'' And Ms Faria said that the information taught during Black History Month needs to reflect the Bermudian perspective.

"Sometimes the students only learn about American black heroes like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. They learn about the civil rights movement in the US, but not about the theatre boycott in Bermuda.

"It is possible that this stems from the fact that for years a lot of local black history was not taught in school. You can't pass it along if you don't know it.'' Sandy Frith-Brown: "Whites need to try to share with the black community this rich history.'' Anna Faria: "If you are recognising someone's culture, you shouldn't just play lip-service to it.'' Martin Luther King Jr.: Portuguese activist Anna Faria says that Bermuda students only learn about American black heroes like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks but not about the theatre boycott in Bermuda.