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Each February, millions of school age children, come home with the same assignment. "My teacher said I have to write a report on a famous black person." Some years it may be a famous African American. The students do their duty. The teacher feels vindicated at doing his or her part for black history month. He or she may also put up a poster, if one is available.

Then each March, the same routine is repeated. Only this time, the assignment is to write about a historical female. At the end of March, everything goes back to normal. Back to "normal" history.

At most universities and colleges, the ethnic studies and women's studies departments suffer from the same fate. When my husband was a college student, he dutifully chose his required studies course. You only need to take one to graduate. "Racism in America", "The Civil Rights Movement", "Foundations in Feminist Theory" lie among the choices offered. The course completed, the student must have learned all he or she needs to know about the topic. Back to normal history, to normal literature, to normal humanities.

Hey, it's better than nothing. Right? No, it is pandering. Just a ruse to appease those persnickity folks. The "special" history months should have been the first step in a thousand step journey, but everyone acts as though the journey has ended. We are 999 steps short. For over 30 years we have recognized these two months. Isn't that enough time to incroporate the history of women and blacks into the overall history of our country?

Black history month should be everyday. Women's history month should be year round. We need a rewrite. We must include all Americans in our history all of the time. Not just one bullshit month a year.