Get ready because for the next month I am going to fill you brain with facts, stories and reflections on Black History. Let’s form a habit over the next four weeks so that when this month is over we all will still continue this journey of learning and discovery together. Black History encompasses so many things and effects us in ways we can’t imagine. I will share with you the good, the bad, the old, the new, the common and the lesser known. Black History is our country’s history, so let’s celebrate it as such.
Where do you start on such a huge subject? How about with the man who came up with the idea of a Black American History Celebration, Carter G Woodson. This Harvard doctoral graduate was a historian and respected author. In 1926 he began his mission of setting aside a special time to celebrate Black History in America. It began as Negro History week in February in honor of the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. But it wasn’t until 1976 that the United States began to officially recognize Black History Month 26 years after Woodson’s death.
Along with his persistence on the preservation and acknowledgement of Black History he was a noted author. He penned the highly acclaimed The Miseducation Of The Negro. It dives deep in the culture that cultivates the hurdles that are put in place to discourage the advancement of African Americans in their communities, schools and other institutions. It comes highly recommended and is on the top of many must read lists. It can be found here and read for free. http://historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/misedne.html . Please do yourself a favor and check it out.