Over the past few years, many people throughout the world have celebrated Charles Darwin’s birthday. This year, February 12, 2012, marks his 203rd birthday. His contributions to the world of ideas were many. However, he is best remembered for collecting important data that led the scientific world to embrace the theory of evolution by natural selection.

It is fitting that Darwin’s birthday falls during February, Black History Month. What better month to bring Darwin’s contributions to the attention of human beings in general, and to African Americans in particular? After all, sadly, African American students are among the most scientifically illiterate people in the U.S.

Indeed, in January of 2011, the mainstream media reported on the results from the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress. The study found that 71 percent of Black high school students scored below the basic knowledge level in science. Only four percent of Black high school students were proficient. Among fourth graders, only 10 percent of Black students were proficient in science.

Evolution is a great topic for Black History Month because evolution theory has helped determine that Africa is the probable birthplace of humanity. Obviously, this does not make everyone happy. The late biologist Stephen Jay Gould used to point out that, though the best evidence points to Africa as humanity’s homeland, many White artists’ renditions of the earliest humans depict them as White people.

Many Christians are uncomfortable with Africa as the birthplace of humanity. According to some biblical scholars, the Garden of Eden was located somewhere in the Tigris-Euphrates area, in the “Middle East.” For this reason, some Christians reject the out-of-Africa idea.

Some people—Blacks, creationists and others—maintain that Darwin was a racist, and that his findings must be rejected. However, there are serious problems with this view. First, it is a common logical fallacy, known as the genetic fallacy. It is a mistake to reject an idea based solely on the fact that it came from a person of alleged bad character.

Secondly, the whole notion of racism is problematic, especially when considered in different historical contexts. For example, during Darwin’s time, most men were sexist and homophobic, and most White men had at least some racist ideas. No one can completely rise above the prejudices of their time. This includes people living today.

Thirdly, many critics of Darwin simply rip his words from their proper context. There are certainly passages from his writings showing that he shared some of the racial prejudices of his day.

However, merely being prejudiced does not make one a hateful racist.

Many of Darwin’s critics quote from his 1871 book The Descent of Man, to argue that he was a racist. However, they give short shrift to the fact that, like his grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood, he was a strong abolitionist. Indeed, when he sailed on the Beagle, he was appalled by the treatment of enslaved Africans, and at the fear that wracked their lives.

Darwin believed in the oneness of humanity due to his findings on evolution by natural selection. There are several quotations in chapter seven of The Descent of Man attesting to this fact, including this gem: “Even the most distant races of men are much more like each other in form than would at first be supposed.”

Darwin had a Black friend and mentor named John Edmondstone, an ex-slave. Edmondstone taught taxidermy at Edinburgh University, and he stuffed birds for the natural history museum. Darwin paid him one guinea per hour to teach him taxidermy over a period of two months. Edmondstone was originally from Guyana and he held frequent discussions with Darwin, who viewed him as

very intelligent. Many believe that Edmonstone’s knowledge of South America helped Darwin make astute observations during his work in the Galapagos Islands.

For all the talk of Darwin’s alleged racism, one would think that there is no racism in religion, particularly Christianity. The late Henry Morris, former head of the Institute for Creation Research, had often claimed that Darwin was a racist. Yet Morris embraced the racist so-called Myth of Ham, in which Blacks had allegedly been cursed by God with servitude and hard, menial labor.

Evidently, creationists were more than willing to give Morris a free pass where his racist views were concerned.

The theory of evolution has stood the test of time, whereas religious mythology simply does not stand up to critical examination. Darwin was not the first person to propose ideas about evolution. However, he was the first to produce the data by which the theory could be tested, confirmed and accepted. The theory of evolution is one of the most important ideas in the history of human civilization. It unites the sciences and helps us understand the universe and our place in it. No matter what color one might be, learning about evolution is absolutely necessary to the education of informed citizens and leaders. It benefits us all. So, let us all celebrate Darwin Day.

[This article is based on a talk I gave to the Society of Ontario Freethinkers in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, on February 11, 2012. The topic was “Evolving Beyond God: Why Africa Matters.”]