Black History Month

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Black History Month
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Father of Black History

• Carter Godwin Woodson was born on December 19,
  1875 at New Canton, Virginia
• He was an American historian who first opened the
  long-neglected field of black studies to scholars
  and also popularized the field in the schools and
  colleges of African Americans
• Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and head of
  the graduate faculty at Howard University,
  Washington, D.C. (1919-20)

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Origins of Black History Month

• In 1915, historian Carter G. Woodson proposed a
  "Negro History Week" to honor the history and
  contributions of African-Americans
• Nine years later, his dream became reality

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• Woodson chose the second week of February to pay
  tribute to the birthdays of two Americans that
  dramatically affected the lives of African
  Americans
• Abraham Lincoln (February 12)
• Frederick Douglass (February 14)

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February is Black History Month

• The week-long observance officially became Black
  History Month in 1976.