It is helpful to know that Black History Month is not a new phenomenon. In fact it dates back in an earlier form to 1926. That is when the first Negro History Week was established. It grew out of the work of an historian named Carter Woodson, and a Christian minister, Jesse Mooreland, who had founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915, right in the midst of the Jim Crow Era, when people of color were being more and more marginalized in American life.
That first week was set up in the second week of February, to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln, February 12, and Frederick Douglass, February 14. Over time it was taken up by more and more cities, as various mayors and other officials issued proclamations in support of the effort. In the sixties it morphed into Black History Month and it was officially declared by Gerald Ford in 1976. In his proclamation he noted the importance of such a month "to honor the often neglected accomplishments of black Americans . . . throughout our history."
Why, these many years later, do we still need Black History Month? Because there is still so much of the story to be told. Because America's story is incomplete without it. Because America would not be the great nation that it is today without the contributions of so, so many black individuals. Indeed, in so many instances, America was literally built by persons who were enslaved, as well as those who were technically free, but often held down by black codes and discriminatory laws.
Why do we need Black History Month? To help mend the rifts ad divisions, to help us see the whole picture.
(If you are in the area, I will be offering a three week course, After 1865: Reconstruction, Jim Crow and Race in 2020 Wednesdays, February 5, 12 and 19, at 10:00 AM or 7:00 PM. Identical sessions. Here at SCUCC, 2050 periwinkle Way, Sanibel. All welcome!)
Good history - well said!
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