Today’s page marks the end of the 2006 Black History Month celebration. Read about Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who started this celebration of black history and culture.
Black History Month actually began as Negro History Week. It was started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926 as a way to focus on the contributions of African-Americans.
Woodson was born in New Canton, VA in 1875. He was part of a large and poor family. He was unable to attend school because he was needed to help his family on their farm, but nothing would stop him from learning and he taught himself the fundamentals of basic school subjects.
Woodson worked in the Kentucky coal mines during his teens and was not able to start school until he was 20. But the late start didn’t stop Woodson from excelling. He graduated from high school in less than two years.
The brilliant Woodson began teaching high school and writing articles. He attended colleges in West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Chicago, earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1907, and a Master’s Degree in 1908. He earned his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912. He traveled to Europe and Asia and attended the Sorbonne in France. He would now dedicate himself to teaching and introducing other scholars to black history.
Dr. Woodson wrote more than 125 articles and authored more than 30 books, the most famous of which is “The Mis-Education of the Negro,” written in 1933.
Dr. Woodson would forge a path that other scholars, like Arthur Schomburg, and Dr. John Henrik Clarke would continue to follow.
Dr. Woodson felt that African- Americans had a rich history that they should be proud of, and that all Americans should understand it. “History,” he said, “was not the mere gathering of facts. The object of historical study is to arrive at a reasonable interpretation of the facts. It must include some description of the social conditions of the period being studied.” African-Americans had suffered because their true history was not being told correctly, he insisted.
Dr. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. He edited the periodical “The Journal of Negro History,” which remained an important historical reference on the subject for more than
In 1926, Dr. Woodson made his most enduring contribution. He started Negro History Week in the second week of February.
Why February? No, not because it’s the shortest month of the year. Dr. Woodson chose it because it’s the birth month of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and writer Langston Hughes. The NAACP was founded in February.
Woodson hoped that in time, all Americans would recognize the contributions of blacks and Negro History Week would no longer be needed. In the meantime, he hoped the observance would be a source of pride for blacks and a source of understanding for whites.
In 1976, the observance of Negro History Week was extended to the entire month of February and the name was changed to Black History Month.
Dr. Woodson died in 1950.
He said, “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.”
Thanks to his lifelong dedication to the education of African Americans, we do.
Use the Internet or an encyclopedia to learn more about the life and work of Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Be the reporter and write a list of questions that you would ask Dr. Woodson.
Gather as many facts as you can about black history. Use the Internet and other sources for reference. Share your findings with the class.
Today’s lesson fulfills the following New York standards: E1c, E3c, E3d, E4a, E4b, E5a