Black History Month
In America, African-Americans have been stripped of their history, heritage, and culture. African-Americans were and still are constantly suppressed, which led to lots of black history being lost through time. Black history was also made during times like the abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights movement. This led to the creation of Black History month, or as it is also known as, African-American history month. Every year, for 94 going on to 95 years, February is a month dedicated to the observance of Black History. Each year, the President of the United States of America acknowledges Black History month and chooses a theme to focus on. This year, the theme is “Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity,” focusing on the displacement of African-Americans and the dispersion of African-Americans families across America. The road to the creation of Black History month started in September of 1926. Historian Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard graduate and the second African-American to obtain a PhD, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). The organization is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Dr. Woodson realized the scarcity of information concerning African-American people and their history, and founded the organization to change this. The organization’s purpose as stated on their website is to “promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.” The association went on to create outlets for research and publication for Black intellectuals such as the “Negro History Bulletin” and the “Journal of Negro History” which both drew attention to the association. The ASNLH/ASALH was gaining popularity when in 1926, Dr. Woodson created “Negro History Week,” a week to celebrate Black history and culture. This week was planned to cover the week of President Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s birth. In 1976, this celebration was expanded through the entire month of February and it was changed to, “Black History month. “
In America, African-Americans have been stripped of their history, heritage, and culture. African-Americans were and still are constantly suppressed, which led to lots of black history being lost through time. Black history was also made during times like the abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights movement. This led to the creation of Black History month, or as it is also known as, African-American history month. Every year, for 94 going on to 95 years, February is a month dedicated to the observance of Black History. Each year, the President of the United States of America acknowledges Black History month and chooses a theme to focus on. This year, the theme is “Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity,” focusing on the displacement of African-Americans and the dispersion of African-Americans families across America. The road to the creation of Black History month started in September of 1926. Historian Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard graduate and the second African-American to obtain a PhD, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). The organization is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Dr. Woodson realized the scarcity of information concerning African-American people and their history, and founded the organization to change this. The organization’s purpose as stated on their website is to “promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.” The association went on to create outlets for research and publication for Black intellectuals such as the “Negro History Bulletin” and the “Journal of Negro History” which both drew attention to the association. The ASNLH/ASALH was gaining popularity when in 1926, Dr. Woodson created “Negro History Week,” a week to celebrate Black history and culture. This week was planned to cover the week of President Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s birth. In 1976, this celebration was expanded through the entire month of February and it was changed to, “Black History month. “
Dr. Woodson intended for this month to be a celebration. Most likely, this was meant to be a day of remembrance, acknowledgment, and healing. However, to put this into perspective, so far there has been 2632 days dedicated to the remembrance of the brutality of 110,000 days of slavery. Now, the month intended as a celebration, has become a sullen month to honor those who struggled and suffered to pave the road to the present day. This month commemorates those who fought and suffered the torture of slavery and oppression to shape America. African-Americans have contributed greatly to the growth of America, whether it was fighting for essential human rights, working to shape the economy, or just giving America a leg up. Slavery is a horrible and tragic event in human history, however we cannot forget the event of the past. Black history month is here to tell the story of millions of people, who played a key role in ending slavery who we most likely don’t know. Slavery is a major event in history, in this country’s history, we should honor those who contributed to our nation. So remember those who built this country, read about Robert Smalls, the former slave turned naval captain, turned politician. Read about Bayard Rustin, who mentored Martin Luther King Jr. and who organized a key African-American protest. Read about the black panther movement, which gave many African-Americans the courage to stand up for their rights. Use February as a month to remember the past, to shape a brighter future.
Dr. Woodson intended for this month to be a celebration. Most likely, this was meant to be a day of remembrance, acknowledgment, and healing. However, to put this into perspective, so far there has been 2632 days dedicated to the remembrance of the brutality of 110,000 days of slavery. Now, the month intended as a celebration, has become a sullen month to honor those who struggled and suffered to pave the road to the present day. This month commemorates those who fought and suffered the torture of slavery and oppression to shape America. African-Americans have contributed greatly to the growth of America, whether it was fighting for essential human rights, working to shape the economy, or just giving America a leg up. Slavery is a horrible and tragic event in human history, however we cannot forget the event of the past. Black history month is here to tell the story of millions of people, who played a key role in ending slavery who we most likely don’t know. Slavery is a major event in history, in this country’s history, we should honor those who contributed to our nation. So remember those who built this country, read about Robert Smalls, the former slave turned naval captain, turned politician. Read about Bayard Rustin, who mentored Martin Luther King Jr. and who organized a key African-American protest. Read about the black panther movement, which gave many African-Americans the courage to stand up for their rights. Use February as a month to remember the past, to shape a brighter future.