|
February marks the beginning of Black History Month, an annual celebration that has existed since 1926. Much of the credit for this celebration can go to Harvard Scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who was determined to bring Black History into the mainstream public arena. In 1926 Woodson organized the first annual Negro History Week, which took place during the second week of February. Woodson chose this date to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two men who had greatly impacted the black population. Eventually, Negro History Week evolved into the Black History Month that we know today, a four-week-long celebration of African American History.
 Carter G. Woodson was the son of parents who were born slaves. He spent his childhood working in the Kentucky coal mines and could not enroll in high school until the age of twenty. He graduated in two years and later went on to earn his Ph.D. from Harvard. A scholar of history, he was disturbed to find that history books largely ignored the black American population, and when blacks did figure into the picture, it was generally in ways that reflected the inferior social position they were assigned at the time. Woodson helped bring about “Black History Month” as a means of raising awareness of black history and the contributions African Americans have made in American history and culture.
The significant achievements of African Americans continue to be minimized in the retelling of history. We want to acknowledge the value of Black History Month as a community committed to reconciliation and to unity in the body of Christ.
Other Resources
|
