BLACK HISTORY MONTH THE BELFIELD BANTER: In Collaboration with the BSU
BHM Edition
ORIGINS OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH adapted from the @saintsbhm2022 instagram
— Carter G. Woodson Woodson created “Negro History Week” in 1926 and, because of that, we have him to thank for Black History Month as we know it today. Born in 1875 to poor and illiterate former slaves, Woodson was truly a self-made man. He first started full-time school at the age of 20 in 1895. By 1912, he had earned two degrees from the University of Chicago and a doctorate from Harvard University. He taught in public schools and eventually became the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University. Seeing a need for more people to study Black History, Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
The St. Anne’s-Belfield School Student Newspaper
MEMORIES FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM
by Nia Robinson — Over the years, I have been to many of the Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC. I’ve admired the dresses first ladies wore on the days of their husbands’ inaugurations at the National Museum of American History, and I’ve observed in awe the quest to explore our expansive universe at the Air and Space Museum. The Smithsonian Museums do a great job at making knowledge and art accessible for everyone in the DC area, yet, for a long time, they decided to exclude groups of people from the historical narrative while showing art stolen from those same peoples. Historians and museum curators are still working to correct this false portrayal of U.S and world history. One of these changes was the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in its permanent location in 2016. It has a unique five-floor layout: three are marked by a guided walk through of African-American History, starting with the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, while the top two focus on cultural history, like music and poety. I had the opportunity to visit this museum in the summer of 2018, and it took my breath away. I was amazed by more parts of the museum than I can recount.
In This Issue:
MEMORIES FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM “SOJOURNER” DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND HIS IMPACT MY CONNECTION TO KWANZAA REFLECTIONS ON THE BLACK HISTORY MONTH PLAYLIST SHOUTOUTS (FROM ALL OF YOU) TO MEMBERS OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY FEATURING INFORMATION ON INFLUENTIAL BLACK FIGURES IN HISTORY FROM THE @SAINTSBHM2022 INSTAGRAM
But, the portion of the museum experience that stuck the most with me was the “time-traveling” trip through African American history on the first three floors. Dark and tight, the space is structured so your eyes are drawn to the art and plaques full of information. After weaving through the Columbian Exchange and American Slavery sections, viewers reach the Civil War exhibit. More than just telling basic facts, the exhibit tells the story of soldiers and highlights the all Black regiments that fought for the segregated Union army. Many photos, both gruesome and triumphant, adorn the walls. Page 1
