As people nationwide celebrate Black History Month, many of the
them overlook the man credited with beginning the annual event.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson ““ who was born in 1875 to former
slaves and later went on to become the second black person to
receive a doctorate degree from Harvard ““ is known as the
Father of Black History Month, even though he was no longer alive
when the first such celebration was officially recognized.
Throughout his personal education, Woodson felt the history of
blacks was largely ignored. Disturbed by this, he became determined
to teach everyone he could about black history.
So he became an educator. He first taught in high school, then
became dean of the Liberal Arts College at both Howard University
and West Virginia State College, and finally held educational
administration posts in the Philippines.
In 1915, Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro
Life and History. This organization pressed for a Negro History
Week, and in 1926 the first Negro History Week was officially
recognized.
The second week of February was chosen for Negro History Week
because it included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick
Douglass, both of whom played huge roles in black history.
Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the
slaves in principle ““Â though not in practice ““ and
Douglass was arguably the most important abolitionist.
In 1976, the U.S. bicentennial, a renamed Association for the
Study of African American Life and History lengthened the
also-renamed Black History Week to Black History Month.
Woodson died in 1950 without ever experiencing the month-long
homage to black history that most UCLA students have grown up
with.
Though other minority groups have periods of time devoted to
their cause ““ such as National Coming Out Day, which is held
on Oct. 11, or Central American Independence Week, which is held in
mid-September ““ no other designated celebration has caught on
with the general population as well as Black History Month.
Nashaun Neal, chairman of the African Student Union, said he
thinks Black History Month has achieved comparatively well-known
popularity because of the unusual history of blacks .
“Black History Month speaks to the historical struggle of
African Americans within this country,” he said.
“People are interested in it and it resonates with
them.”
February is an especially appropriate month for people to
reflect on how black history has affected them.
Besides Lincoln and Douglass, February also includes the
birthdays of W.E.B DuBois and Langston Hughes, as well as the
founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People and the first Pan-American Congress.
Additionally, the 15th Amendment, which gave blacks the right to
vote, was passed in February, and the first black senator, Hiram R.
Revels, took his oath in February of 1870.
Darnell Hunt, director of the Bunche Center for African American
studies and a professor of sociology, said that while it is
important for society to focus on black history, there is a risk
involved with a concept like Black History Month.
“People might only deal with black history during
February,” he said.
He added that people should study black history all year long,
not just in February.