Last night I posted a little history about Carter G. Woodson, the founder of the Black History Month idea. I mentioned a little on the organization that sets the theme for Black History Month each year, ASALH. I forgot to tell you guys about the 2009 theme! So here you go!
The theme for 2009, “The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas,” honors the centennial of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and highlights “the problem of race and citizenship in American history, from the experiences of free blacks in a land of slavery to the political aspirations of African Americans today,” according to the ASALH Web site. “The centennial also provides an opportunity to explore the history of other nations in the Americas, where former slaves also sought the fruits of citizenship.”
John Fleming, ASALH president and director emeritus of the Cincinnati Museum Center, said he believes Black History Month should focus on positive as well as negative aspects of the black experience. “Certainly, struggle has been an ongoing theme in our history from the very beginning. However, we were not slaves prior to being captured in Africa — and while slavery was part of our experience for 250 years, we have a hundred-and-some years in freedom that we also need to deal with.”
“I’m glad to see the National African American Museum being developed on the Mall, which will tell a much broader story,” said Fleming. In 2003, President Bush signed legislation to establish the new museum, which will be located on the National Mall near the Washington Monument. Although the new museum has not yet been built, it launched a photo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery late in 2007 that is traveling to museums around the country through 2011.
“I think that African-American history gets more attention during February than during any other time of year, “ Fleming said, “and I think it’s an opportunity for us in the field to emphasize that it is something that should be studied throughout the year.”
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