"When I was born I was black, When I was sad I was black, When I was hot I was black, When I was sick I was black, When I was scared I was black, When you was born you was pink, When you was sad you was blue, When you was hot you was red, When you was sick you was green, When you was scared you was yellow. And you call me colored."

-Agra gra (Placed by Raleigh Hagood)

By Urshitaa Goel

Black History Month originally started as a week. In 1915, historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse Moorland founded what’s now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. That organization established Negro History Week in 1926, which formed with the aspiration to inspire schools and communities to organize local celebrations and host performances and lectures.

Woodson was determined to establish Negro History Week as a program to encourage the study of African-American history through lobbying. He dedicated his career to the subject and wrote many books on the topic. His most famous volume is “The Mis-Education of the Negro” (1933).

Negro History Week took place on the second week of February as it coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. President Lincoln was the 16th U.S. president who helped pave the way for the abolition of slavery through his Emancipation Proclamation. Douglass was an escaped slave turned activist and author, and a prominent leader in the abolitionist movement to end slavery.

Due to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Negro History Week was elevated to national prominence and turned into a month long celebration. In 1976, President Gerald Ford made things official, proclaiming February to be Black History Month.

Black History Month was formed with the sole purpose to acknowledge the impressive achievements of black men and women in the fields of science, politics, law, sports, entertainment, and many others. These include, but are most definitely not limited to, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, and Barack Obama.

Benjamin O. Davis Jr.

By: Terrence Miller

Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. was born on December 18th, 1912, in Washington D.C.. He had two other siblings. His father, Benjamin O. Davis Sr., was a U.S Army officer. This is the main reasoning why Benjamin joined the air force. Unfortunately, Benjamin’s father was doing his serving in Wyoming, being a lieutenant with an all-white cavalry. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. served 41 years before he was promoted to a brigadier general in October of 1940. Before that, a tragedy occured. The passing of Elnora Davis occured after having her third child, named after herself, in 1916. When younger Benjamin turned 13, he went on a flight, which drived the inspiration of becoming a pilot.

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. was the first African American general. He commanded the 332nd Fighter Group named the “Tuskegee Airmen”. At this point, Davis had flown 60 combat missions and won his way to colonel. After that, he kept pushing for higher and higher. He eventually got brigadier general (similar to his father) after the Korean War. Davis then became the first African American to become a major general, and then a lieutenant general about 6 years after. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. then retired after being named director of the “civil aviation” security in the U.S Department of Transportation.

Although Davis may have had great success in his life, he had to go through a lot of trouble to get to where he got to. For example, did you know that Benjamin was a commander of black people called the 99th Pursuit Squadron, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen (as previously stated). The airmen went on a mission, while Benjamin was pulled aside for training for another all-black combat training unit course. Unfortunately, his group had failed the mission and the Commander of the XII Air Support Command had said that African Americans (but in a meaner way) weren’t capable and didn’t have the reflexes to be fighter pilots. Well, we see that Davis proved him wrong!

Daryl Davis

by Cary McCaghren

Daryl Davis seems like a ordinary man but little did you know that he is a real life superhero what his powers super strength, laser eyes, superspeed no just extraordinary amount of patience.

Yes you saw that correctly that is a African American man with the KKK, he has reportedly convinced 600 klan members to leave.