The Origin of Black History Month

Source: www.atlantablackstar.com

Today marks day 1 of 28 in celebrating Black History Month. This month's purpose is to raise awareness and highlight the struggles, accomplishments, and achievements of Black people. Many times we find ourselves celebrating this month, but we never take the time to discover who created this celebratory occasion. Today's blog post will discuss just that.

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Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson was born on December 1, 1875 in New Canton, Virginia. Woodson realized that education would be his way out of poverty, so he went on to earn his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Chicago. In 1912, he earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University, being the second African American to do so (W.E.B. DuBois was the first). Dr. Woodson's career as a historian centered around African American history, and he set out to provide materials that presented African American history in a positive and balanced manner because most of the curricula pertaining to Blacks was in derogatory ways.

To further his mission of raising awareness of African American history, Woodson created Negro History week in 1926. He chose the second week of February to celebrate because the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were the same week. However, in 1976, President Gerald Ford expanded the week to the entire month of February as Black History Month.

"The Father of Black History", as Carter G. Woodson is sometimes referred, died on April 3, 1950 as a highly respected scholar of African American history. It is up to all of us that are living to continue his legacy of educating and celebrating Black History during the month of February and every day. To learn more about Dr. Carter G. Woodson, click here to view the biography.com video.

What are your thoughts about Dr. Woodson's and his accomplishments?

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