This year marks the 100th anniversary of Negro History Week, which later became Black History Month.”Negro History Week is about the teaching, telling, promoting and protecting of Black history, making sure our children know the legacy of their history,” said Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead, the president of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and his colleagues.Woodson launched Negro History Week in February 1926.”By 1926, the Black community was already celebrating two big days,” Whitehead told WBAL-TV 11 News. “They were celebrating the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, Feb. 12, and they were celebrating the birthday of Frederick Douglass, Feb. 14. This is important to know because there is a lie that always gets circulated every single year, ‘Why do we have the shortest month of the year? Why did they give us the shortest month of the year?’ Nobody gave us anything. We were already celebrating in the month of February, and what Dr. Woodson did is he just put some structure around it, and said, ‘Let’s take that week and intentionally do the teaching in our community.'”Negro History Week became Black History Month in 1976.”There was pressure put on President Gerald Ford to get the first White House official proclamation of Black History Month,” Whitehead told WBAL-TV 11 News. “It was the bicentennial year. It was an excellent opportunity to backstitch Black history into the American historical narrative.”Now, 100 years after the start of Negro History Week and 50 years after the start of Black History Month, Whitehead said honoring Black history is more important than ever.”We’ve been at this point before where our history is under attack,” Whitehead told WBAL-TV 11 News. “This is where we spring up. This is where we dig in even harder because we have to make sure that, going forward, the children of this nation understand that America was built by all hands. It’s not just about Black people learning Black history. It’s about Americans learning the full and complete American historical narrative, and it includes Black history because Black history is American history.”ASALH has resources that teach about Black history, as well as programs commemorating Black History Month throughout February. For more information, tap here.Whitehead is also the founding executive director of The Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice at Loyola University Maryland, which hosts free Black history classes called Touch of Freedom School every Saturday in February.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Negro History Week, which later became Black History Month.
“Negro History Week is about the teaching, telling, promoting and protecting of Black history, making sure our children know the legacy of their history,” said Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead, the president of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson and his colleagues.
Woodson launched Negro History Week in February 1926.
“By 1926, the Black community was already celebrating two big days,” Whitehead told WBAL-TV 11 News. “They were celebrating the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, Feb. 12, and they were celebrating the birthday of Frederick Douglass, Feb. 14. This is important to know because there is a lie that always gets circulated every single year, ‘Why do we have the shortest month of the year? Why did they give us the shortest month of the year?’ Nobody gave us anything. We were already celebrating in the month of February, and what Dr. Woodson did is he just put some structure around it, and said, ‘Let’s take that week and intentionally do the teaching in our community.'”
Negro History Week became Black History Month in 1976.
“There was pressure put on President Gerald Ford to get the first White House official proclamation of Black History Month,” Whitehead told WBAL-TV 11 News. “It was the bicentennial year. It was an excellent opportunity to backstitch Black history into the American historical narrative.”
Now, 100 years after the start of Negro History Week and 50 years after the start of Black History Month, Whitehead said honoring Black history is more important than ever.
[pullquote align=’left’]”It’s not just about Black people learning Black history.”[/pullquote]
“We’ve been at this point before where our history is under attack,” Whitehead told WBAL-TV 11 News. “This is where we spring up. This is where we dig in even harder because we have to make sure that, going forward, the children of this nation understand that America was built by all hands. It’s not just about Black people learning Black history. It’s about Americans learning the full and complete American historical narrative, and it includes Black history because Black history is American history.”
ASALH has resources that teach about Black history, as well as programs commemorating Black History Month throughout February. For more information, tap here.
Whitehead is also the founding executive director of The Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice at Loyola University Maryland, which hosts free Black history classes called Touch of Freedom School every Saturday in February.
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