Black History Month comes around every year, and every year, it continues to stir up a boiling pot of controversy.

Often times, this dispute ends up dividing people even more than before, but Black History Month should be producing a stronger community.

First of all, this month should not be offensive — it is not meant to be a time to place blacks on a pedestal over other races, and it is not meant to put others down.

February is just supposed to be a time to celebrate black people’s achievements despite adversity.

It’s a period for blacks to praise their current accomplishments in culture and in business.

It’s a time for them to encompass themselves in self-love when all of history has been telling them that they are less than because of their skin color.

And no, we don’t need a White History Month.

That is every day of our lives — we learn about it in school, and it’s constantly taught to us.

Black History Month is here because we don’t talk about it very much otherwise.

It’s background noise in the classrooms, a topic to brush off by many historians, a subject people generally don’t want to discuss.

I mean, when your Tiger Time teacher pulled up the Black History Month lesson in previous years, how many of your classmates paid attention to it? Did you blow it off, too?

When a minority group gains a privilege that most people already have, that does not mean it’s being stolen away from the majority.

This month exists as a platform for dialogue — among everyone, of all races, not just black people.

This dialogue can and will enrich previous knowledge, even for black people.

It will remind everyone to not take for granted the rights they have today.

It will dissolve ignorance and prejudice of black culture and of black people.

However, it will only do all of this if everyone begins to observe the celebration together.