|
Black History Month commences in February with
formal celebrations that pay tribute to many
milestones, such as the birth of Frederick Douglass,Langston Hughes, Eubie Blake
as well as W.E.B. Dubois an important civil rights
leader. Black History Month also commemorates some key anniversaries, such
as the passing of the 15th amendment; the swearing in of the first black
U.S. senator, Hiram R. Revels; and the assassination of the militant leader,
Malcolm X.
Many people take time to reflect upon the achievements of African
Americans throughout U.S. history, but not many people know how it all came to
be. In 1926, an eminent African American scholar named Dr. Carter Woodson
established 'Negro History Week' which was meant to highlight the contributions
that African Americans had made to U.S. history. This particular week was
chosen in February because it coincided with the birthdays of Fredrick Douglass
and Abraham Lincoln - two men who had greatly impacted the black population. Soon after, the week was
extended to include the entire month, as African Americans finally became
recognized as an important part of the history of this country.
Dr. Woodson himself is quite an impressive historical personality; he
worked in the coal mines of Kentucky until age 20, when he began high school. He
completed his course work in 2 years, and soon after earned a Ph.D. from
Harvard. During his studies he was disheartened to find very little about
African Americans in the history books of the time, and often when there was
reference to the black experience, they were unfair and inaccurate. To combat
the lack of information available, Dr. Woodson established the Association for
the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of
Afro-American Life and History) in 1915, and a short time after, founded the
well-respected Journal of Negro History.
So from Dr. Woodson's desire to give African Americans their proper
place in history, we now have a nationally-recognized month dedicated to this
worthy cause. It just goes to show you that one man can have a profound effect
on this country if his motivations run deep enough.
Important
dates in February to remember:
February 1, 1960 - In what later became a civil rights movement
milestone, a group of African American Greensboro, NC, college students
began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter.
February
3, 1870 - The 15th amendment was passed, granting African Americans the
right to vote.
February
12th, 1965 - Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black
Nationalism, was assassinated by three African American Muslims.
February
23rd, 1868 - W.E.B. DuBois, important civil rights leader and co-founder
of the NAACP, was born.
February
25th, 1909 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) was founded by a group of influential African Americans and
Caucasians in New York City.
|
