Carter G. Woodson and the Creation of Black History Month

Biography.com

Carter G. Woodson,  the son of Former slaves, was a famous historian, activist and author known for his extensive study of African American History. He is also known as the father of Black History.  Born in 1875 to a large and fairly poor family, he educated himself due to the fact that he went off to work in the Virginia coal mines at an early age and could not attend school on a regular basis.  His education was always a priority. He graduated  Douglass High School in just short of two years after enrolling at age 20. He went on to gain many other accolades including a PH.D from Harvard. Woodson was just the second African American to do so after W.E.B. Dubois in 1912. He spent many years as an educator in various institutions such as Howard University.

As Woodson became older,  he noticed the misrepresentation and sometimes full exclusion of African American and other cultures contributions to society in the United States. Most importantly this misleading and often false information was being used in the school textbooks and reinforced by the teachers who utilized them. 

Race prejudice, he concluded, "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind." 
-Carter G. Woodson

In 1915,  he and others created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, a non profit organization which focused on the education of African American Children,  and the preservation of the culture and history. This was the organization that initiated what would later become Black History Month.

Negro History Week was founded in 1926. The  second week in February was CHOSEN to celebrate it, and was done  so specifically to coincide with the birth of Frederick Douglass who was born and also expired in February.  Woodson's philosophy was that the teaching of Black History was absolutely necessary for the physical and intellectual survival of the Race within Society. The tradition was that each year there was a different theme for the celebration. It was initially acknowledged by schools in places like Washington D.C. , Baltimore,  and North Carolina where some school boards and departments of education participated. 

The first "Black History Month" Celebration took place at Kent State University in 1970 after a proposition by the Black United Students.  In 1976 the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History extended the "Negro History Week" celebration to take place during the entire month of February. Black History month was now officially recognized by the U.S. Government.

"Seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."
-Gerald Ford

Black History Month has been, and will always be necessary as long as there is an attempt to undermine or misrepresent African American Achievements throughout history. It IS American history, It IS World History. The children deserve to know that their people contributed to society and have a great value to the world. It's not some contest or a means of saying " Look Me Too". Its more than that. It is not an attempt to segregate or minimize our historical achievements to just one month. Last time I checked, February is also a part of the year so if you celebrate Black History 365 days of the year then guess what? Let us know your thoughts on Black History Month, and how you plan to celebrate it in the comments below.