How February became Black History Month: Carter Woodson credited for founding month-long holiday honoring African Americans
Amy Recktenwald & Stephanie Clines
While black history is something to be celebrated all-year round, Black History Month was created to shed light on the important African Americans who were often left out of history books. The founding of what is now known as Black History Month is attributed to a Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Woodson was born to two former slaves on December 12, 1875 in New Canton, Virginia, according to biography.com. He began high school at age 20 and earned a doctorate from Harvard in 1912.
During his studies, Woodson was disturbed by the fact that African Americans were left out of history books and lobbied to see black history taught and studied.
In 1915, Woodson created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History). He created the "Journal of Negro History" the next year.
In 1921, he founded the African-American owned Associated Publishers Press. This press published some of his works, including "The Negro in Our History" in 1922 and "Mis-Education of the Negro" in 1933.
On Feb. 12, 1926, Woodson started the tradition of Negro History Week to educate people on the contributions made by African Americans throughout American History.
According to history.com, the date was selected to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. Other historical events in February coincide with the celebration.
In February 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment, giving African Americans the right to vote, was passed. W.E.B. DuBois, co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was born in February 1868. The NAACP was founded in New York City in February 1909.
The holiday possibly began by the efforts of the African American collegiate fraternity Omega Phi Psi and Mary Church Terrell. The fraternity established a "Negro Achievement Week" in 1924, and Terrell had a practice of observing Frederick Douglass' birthday on Feb. 14.
Woodson was both a member of Omega Psi Phi and friends with Terrell. He assisted Terrell and the National Council of Colored Women to preserve the personal papers and home of Douglass. Her observance of Douglass was a local effort only, and the fraternity's Omega Achievement Week was part of community outreach.
Woodson expanded the scope of the holiday by sending out circulars across the country, attempting to convert it into a national celebration that would improve racial relations. He had hoped that in time, the week would no longer be needed as black history would be commonly studied.
He did view the week as a part of the ASALH's attempts to educate the world that peoples of African descent had contributed to society and history. Negro history week was a vehicle to undermine the concept of black inferiority through scholarship.
The holiday was celebrated initially by African Americans, although government leaders in the North began to encourage the week in an attempt to encourage racial harmony. During the 1960s, there was a call that one week was insufficient.
The ASALH answered the call and established Black History Month in 1976, as a part of the nation's bicentennial celebrations and the 50th anniversary of Negro History Week.
In respect of Woodson's ideals, black history is something to be studied by all people not just in the month of February, but all-year round. Despite slavery, segregation, and racism, African Americans have contributed to make an impact on our country and world in all fields.
To learn more about Black History Month and important African Americans in history, go to The History Channel's Black History Month Web site (www.history.com/minisites/blackhistory), the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH.org) and to A&E's Biography Black History Month Web site (www.biography.com/blackhistory).