In an interview on 60 Minutes, actor Morgan Freeman famously told Mike Wallace he found Black History Month "ridiculous!" Freeman pointed out that black history is American history, and trying to contain it inside the time-span of a single month is detrimental to nationwide awareness of that history. Some people find the idea of ending Black History Month abhorrent, including those who can remember participating in the civil rights movement, or are invested in the legacy of people like Carter G. Woodson, creator of Black History Month's predecessor, Negro History Week. But there are plenty of people who agree with Freeman's points. Here are eight reasons why it might be time to end Black History Month. (Photo by Antonio Caton)

1. There's too much history to cram into just one month

   A classic and long-running joke goes, "Why is Black History Month celebrated in February? Because it's the shortest month of the year." And here we are, in yet another year, attempting to try and cram the entirety of black American history in, thanks to 2012 being a leap year, 29 days. Throughout our culture, the message we hear from the powers that be, be they school administrators or (ahem) blog editors, is to get more done in less time. And if "black history" remains a subject to be highlighted just for a few weeks out of the year, it's inevitable that important people and events will be passed over and perhaps forgotten in the interest of saving time.

2. Black History Month has been co-opted by corporations and ad agencies

   Nike rolled out a limited edition line of Black History Month shoes this month, including special edition Air Force Ones, as well as Black History Month T-shirts and jackets. "Nike knows what time it is," says Vibe Magazine, which means what exactly? That February is a great time to push products to black consumers? In the world of fast food, there's the McDonald's 365Black campaign that, in addition to making sure people stay hungry for those fries, promotes opportunities for education, employment, and career advancement. Not to take anything away from the genuinely charitable work that McDonald's does, but it's obvious the ultimate goal of their corporate sponsorship of black enterprises is to sell more cheeseburgers.

3. It's not working

   If the purpose of Black History Month is to not only celebrate, but develop an awareness of black history so that it becomes an integral part of the teaching of American history, you can easily argue that it isn't accomplishing this goal. There are plenty of people who are concerned that the end of Black History Month will mean an end to any hope of mainstreamed education of black history. But Black History Month has been around for more than three decades, and school curriculums haven't really changed much. In fact, you could argue they've actually gotten worse.

4. It's de facto segregation

   Justice Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court's first African-American justice, wrote in a desegregation case, "Unless our children begin to learn together, there is little hope that our people will ever learn to live together." Legal segregation ended thanks to the efforts of the civil rights movement. But the fact that black history is popularly accepted as being worthy of just one month of the nation's attention is symptomatic of de facto segregation, which is alive and well even in post-Obama America. A good question you hear each February regarding Black History Month is, "What about the other 11 months?"

5. There's no "White History Month"

   There's no "White History Month," or, for that matter, "Jewish History Month," "Irish-American History Month," or "Puerto-Rican Italian with Welsh Heritage History Month." In the aforementioned 60 Minutes interview, Mike Wallace visibly cringes when Freeman bluntly asks him if he wants a Jewish History Month. Most of us who are justifiably proud of our ethnic heritage find such calendaring condescending and ultimately unhelpful if our goal as a nation is to be inclusive.

6. It used to be just one week

   Dr. Carter G. Woodson first proposed and created Negro History Week in 1926, and chose the second week of February in order to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the week was expanded to a federally recognized, nationwide, month-long celebration. So why stop there? If one can imagine, propose, and realize a black history week, month, year, or decade, then perhaps it's time to put an end to the month-long celebration and imagine black history as being present and never ending.

7. The same four or five historical figures are celebrated over and over

   Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and maybe Sojourner Truth. Each one is an important figure in American history, and it's crucial that people, especially young people, are aware of these figures and their contributions to our country. But why must this be such a short list? Why not expand it to include men and women who have made advances in the fields of science, technology, medicine, literature, and philosophy? Once you start researching, you realize that there really is no end to the number of black Americans who should be lauded for their accomplishments.

8. We're letting ourselves off the hook

   We have a black president, "The Help" is favored to win Best Picture at the Oscars, and we have Black History Month. So we're good, right? We as a people, both black and white and every other race, can rest easy knowing that we're all smarter and more tolerant than our parents and grandparents. Those Nike and McDonald's TV ads we see throughout the month of February support this, right? Or is Black History Month a crutch we collectively and too-comfortably lean on, preventing the possibility of further combating the ignorance and racism we still see in politics, the entertainment industry, and our neighborhoods? Perhaps the real purpose of Black History Month is to provide some momentum for these questions and provoke people to imagine a world where Black History Month is no longer necessary.