Considering it’s the last day of January, it’s important to remember February as Black History Month. Upon asking myself, Why is February ‘Black History Month’?, I realized that I didn’t know because of America’s education system and its lack of spice in the history curriculum. Thus, I did some digging through DuckDuckGo – not Google because of its tracking and privacy violations, systemic racism, and capitalism-aiding trillion-dollar company, but that’s a story for another day.
The answer lies in the hands of American historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Dr. Woodson began his activism, along with William B. Hartgrove, George Cleveland Hall, Alexander L. Jackson, and James E. Stamps by founding the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in 1915 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of emancipation. ASNLH aimed to promote the findings and research of Black intellectuals and publish them in The Journal of Negro History. Passionate about uplifting his brothers and sisters, Dr. Woodson encouraged his fraternity Omega Psi Phi to urge Black civic organizations to promote the achievements of The Journal of Negro History. In 1924, they created Negro History and Literature Week. Eager for a greater impact, Dr. Woodson popularized the awareness and accomplishments of Black history through the Association and started Negro History Week in February of 1926.
Why did Dr. Carter G. Woodson choose February?
“Dr. Woodson chose February for reasons for tradition and reform.” Many claim Woodson chose the second week of February to incorporate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose birthdays are the 12th and the 14th, respectively. However, it was more than just about the birthdays for him; Dr. Woodson noticed that much of the Black community celebrated Lincoln’s birthday since his assassination in 1865 and Douglass’ starting the late 1890s due to their roles in shaping Black history.
However, while Dr. Woodson admired both men, he planned to reform the celebrations from Lincoln and Douglass into commemorating Black history as a whole through Negro History Week. *Please note that Lincoln did not free the slaves (he was a slave owner himself *eye roll*), but rather the Union Army, including hundreds of thousands of Black soldiers and sailors, accomplished that.* Instead of focusing on only two men, Dr. Woodson envisioned the Black community centering their attention on the numerous Black men and Black women who had contributed to fighting for equity and justice for all.
Over the years, Negro History Week proved to be dynamic and continuously aligning with Dr. Woodson’s goal. “[Dr. Woodson and the Association] set a theme for the annual celebration, and provided study materials—pictures, lessons for teachers, plays for historical performances, and posters of important dates and people.” The Black middle class became consumers of Black culture and literature. Negro History Clubs and progressive groups started emerging, diving deep into Black history and spreading the knowledge into their communities.
Dr. Woodson pushed for schools to expand Negro History Week because he believed Black history deserved more recognition than the one-week time frame it received. With the same mindset, he established a Black studies extension program for adults throughout the year. While Dr. Woodruff knew it was a long shot (because Lord knows how the whites felt about the week of Eurocentric history their students would be missing), he vocalized for a shift from Negro History Week to Negro History Year.
The effect on the study and celebration of Black history remained strong even after Dr. Woodson passed away in 1950. By the 1960s, the transition from Negro History Week to Black History Month was widespread, while Congress finally passed Public Law 99-244 to designate February as, officially, Black History Month.
Now, here are some donation links I’m swinging your way. Please consider donating, I know that even a dollar goes a long way.
The Association for the Study of African American Life and History
The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness
Thurgood Marshall College Fund
Let us all commit to a forever of accountability and justice <3
I enjoyed the mini history lesson!
Thank you so much. I learned a great deal!
Appreciate the donation links at the bottom!