WHAT IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND WHY DO WE CELEBRATE IT? Since I was a little boy, Black History Month has been celebrated in February. I remember writing countless school reports on the contributions and achievements of great African Americans, some famous and some unknown, to the United States. Perhaps one of the most important African Americans is Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-educated historian, and author. In 1915, Woodson and Jesse Moorland, a minister, started the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Despite heavy public pushback, the organization survived under their leadership. Throughout the years, support for the organization grew but wasn’t as widespread as Woodson had envisioned. An event was needed in which schools and communities could share African American History through organized celebrations, performances, educational seminars, and lectures. In February 1926, Negro History Week was born. But Woodson wasn’t done. He devoted his life and career to the promotion of this cause. He wrote more than a dozen books throughout his career, including Mis-Education of the Negro in 1933. Mis-Education, perhaps the most famous book of this genre, has become required reading in African-American Studies in numerous colleges and universities. Woodson died on April 3, 1950, but his legacy lives on. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s dramatically influenced the decade and created social awareness of African-American culture in the United States, and helped elevate Negro History Week to national prominence. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially declared that February would become Black History Month. So, you may be asking yourself - Why February? Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week to coincide with the birthdays of two men who had a tremendous positive impact on the status of the negro in the United States, President Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass. Lincoln’s Emancipation 10
Aging Times Magazine | February 2022
Proclamation paved the way for the abolition of slavery, and Douglass, an escaped slave, became a prominent leader in the fight to end slavery. When Woodson started Negro History Week in 1926, I don’t think he fully understood the impact that his brainchild would have not only in the United States but also throughout the world. He laid the groundwork for the most celebrated acknowledgment of the impressive achievements of black men and women in the fields of politics, education, science, law, sports, and entertainment. Woodson’s legacy lives on in the actions and accomplishments of all African-Americans. Vince Philip moved from Staten Island, New York to DeLand, Florida over 20 years ago. When he is not working as a marketing and graphic design professional, Vince enjoys traveling, writing and board gaming.
