The month of February is designated as African
American History Month. How did this celebration of the history and heritage of
African Americans get started? In 1915, historian Carter G. Woodson, traveled to
Chicago for a national celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of emancipation,
sponsored by the state of Illinois. This exhibition, which showcased the
achievements of African Americans, was attended by thousands of African
Americans from all across the country. Inspired by this event, Woodson and a
few others formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). They started to call for a Negro History Week (Black
History Month Origins).
In
1925, Woodson, in an effort to extend the popularity of this History Week, sent
out a press release announcing Negro History Week in February, 1926. He chose
February because Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, were born in February,
and he wished to build on the tradition of celebrations of the birthdays of two
famous activists for African Americans. (Black
History Month Origins).
Woodson wanted this commemorative history
week to be more than about these two men, however. He wanted to focus on the
achievements of black men and women who had contributed to the advance of human
civilization. In the 1920s Negro History Week caught on in the country—in schools
and before the public, and it continued to become more and popular in many
schools and communities (Black History Month Origins).
Mary McLeod Bethune was an important African American educator, civil and women's right advocate, an adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt, and founder of a college. She urged Woodson to establish the Negro History Bulletin, which promoted this new holiday. In the 1960s, Black History Month replaced Negro
History Week in many localities. In 1976, fifty years after the first
celebration, the Association promoted shifts from a week to a month and from
Negro history to black history. Since the mid-1970s, Black History Month was
proclaimed by every American president. It is often referred to as African
American History Month, due to the changes in current politically appropriate
designations for the month (Black History
Month Origins).
Mary McLeod Bethune |
- .
Visit a Black
History or Civil Rights Museum in your locality
- .
Spend time with a
Black elder in your community
- .
Read a book by a
Black author
- .
Sign up to mentor a
Black child in your community
- .
Learn about an unsung
hero/shero of Black history
- .
Explore Black Music
- .
Call out racism and
prejudice in your community (Celebrate
Black History Month).
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