Black History Month was the inspiration of Carter G. Woodson, a noted scholar and historian, who instituted Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Woodson, the son of former slaves in Virginia, realized that the struggles and achievements of Americans of African descent were being ignored or misrepresented. He founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), which supports historical research, publishes a scholarly journal and sets the theme for Black History Month each year. ASALH has its headquarters in Washington, where Woodson lived from 1915 until his death in 1950. His home is designated a national historic site. More information is available at the ASALH Web site.
This Black History honor is given to Carter Woodson because without him, many African Americans throughout history would be unknown. His idea has given children of many generations past & present (and those to come) the opportunity to know that their ancestors were more than just slaves. They had dreams & many of them saw those dreams to fruition. Mr. Woodson's hunger for ensuring African Americans were recognized for their accomplishments has grown to be so much more & for that, we honor him!
Info credit: America.gov
1 comment:
Yes he definitely deserves kudos for this incredible development!
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