The History of Black History Month
Date Published: 2/22/2017
We are in February which means it's Black History Month. I was listening to the radio and the man was talking about after our studies of the Civil Rights Movement. He stated that the majority of Americans only know 9 words about the movement. Those 9 words are Jim Crow Laws, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. That is all we know.
My wish is that we learn about something other than those 9 words. To help I'm going to talk a bit about how Black History Month came to fruition. It started as Negro History week in the 1920s created by Carter G. Woodson. After getting his PhD at Harvard in 1912, Woodson became one of the first African- American historians.
He chose the second week in February to represent "Negro History Week" because both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass were born within that week two days apart. Both men having a huge role in black history in America it was fitting for Woodson to make that week in February "Negro History week". It wasn't until 1976, 16 years after Woodson's passing, that it was expanded into entire month known today as "Black History Month." With that history in mind, go out and learn something new about the many wonderful black people who helped shape America into what it is today!
Peace and Love,
Andrew from We Take Note for The Wishwall
My wish is that we learn about something other than those 9 words. To help I'm going to talk a bit about how Black History Month came to fruition. It started as Negro History week in the 1920s created by Carter G. Woodson. After getting his PhD at Harvard in 1912, Woodson became one of the first African- American historians.
He chose the second week in February to represent "Negro History Week" because both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass were born within that week two days apart. Both men having a huge role in black history in America it was fitting for Woodson to make that week in February "Negro History week". It wasn't until 1976, 16 years after Woodson's passing, that it was expanded into entire month known today as "Black History Month." With that history in mind, go out and learn something new about the many wonderful black people who helped shape America into what it is today!
Peace and Love,
Andrew from We Take Note for The Wishwall