It's Black History Month and a lot of people might be asking... why? Why do we have Black
History month and if we have Black History Month, why don't we have White History month
or any other months based on race? Well in this video, we'll be answering those questions
and discussing What is: Black History Month.
On December 19th, 1875, former slaves, James and Anna Woodson gave birth to their son Carter
G Woodson in New Canton Virginia. After helping Union Soldiers during the Civil War, James
Woodson heard that they were building schools for black children in West Virginia, and so
he moved his family there for a better future.
His parents encouraged him to pursue his education and Carter had shown himself to be a hard
worker. He hired himselfo out as a manual laborer, and worked everywhere from coal mines
to farmlands while putting himself through school. He completed High School and In 1903,
he earned a B.L. Degree from Berea College and started teaching black children in the
early 1900s. He traveled the world pursuing education and spent time in Africa, Asia and
Europe, where he attended Sorbonne University in Paris, France for a short period of time.
In 1907, he received his Masters in History, Romance Languages, and Literature from The
University of Chicago in Illinois. And In 1912, he got earned a Doctorate in History
from Harvard University while teaching in Washington DC.
So it's safe to say that education and history played a very large part in Woodson's life.
What he wanted more than anything, was to share his knowledge with specifically black
people who, at the time, still had many obstacles with pursuing their educations.
In 1915, he published his first book, The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 that
specifically focused on how black slaves were kept from education.
The same year, he traveled to Washington D. C. To celebrate the fifteenth' anniversary
of the emancipation of slaves. He was one of thousands of people who came to celebrate
the progress black people had made since the emancipation. The celebration was packed and
it inspired him to form an organization to promote the scientific study of black life
and history. He formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life And History on September
9th with A.L. Jackson and three other historians.
Woodson believed that publishing the records of black progress would improve race relations
and dispel falsehoods about black people and their achievements. He published his findings
in The Journal of Negro History, that was established a year later in 1916. The journal
reached many, but Woodson wanted more. He wanted for the stories of black progress to
be more widely embraced and known. In February of 1926, he put out a press release announcing
Negro History Week.
Negro History Week took place during February because it was the month where both Abraham
Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were born. At the time, it was already a quite popular
month for Black Americans both Lincoln and Douglass for their contribution towards black
progress. While Woodson wanted to build Negro History Week around these preexisting celebrations,
he had conflicting feelings about these two celebrations because he believed that the
people, not these men themselves, freed the slaves. His only real request was that the
public use this time to expand their study of black history.
And his plans were successful. Negro History week became so celebrated that he couldn't
control it. Woodson and the Association had provided curriculum and study materials schools
across the country, his association had expanded internationally. and Negro History clubs started
forming in High Schools. Even still, the tradition Woodson started would eventually contort and,
in his opinion lose a bit of its focus as people sought to capitalize on its popularity.
Carter G Woodson never wanted to limit the study of black history to just one week. He
wanted it to be the foundation of a movement to encourage year round inclusion of black
history into school curriculum. By the 1940s West Virginia had started to push Negro History
Week to Negro History Month.
In the 1960s, there was a surge of African Consciousness where African Americans were
trying to connect more with their roots. In 1969, black educators along with members of
The Black United Students Group at Kent State University, a rallied to expand the celebration
from a week to a month. And a year later, they held their first Black History Month
celebration. Quickly, Black History Month, replaced Negro
History Week on college campuses across the country.
In 1976, 26 years after Woodson's death, his association officially pushed the celebration
to a month and renamed it Black History Month. President Gerald Ford informally recognized
the expansion of the celebration and said that Americans should
"seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans
in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”". Wood's association changed its name from Association
For the Study of Negro Life to Association for the Study of African American Life and
History
And that is how we got Black History Month.
Now, to the question as to why we do not have a specific month for white people... well,
you might be surprised to find that we have several heritage months!
March is Irish American History Month May is Asian Pacific Islander and Jewish Heritage
Month June is Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
September is Latino Heritage Month October is Italian American Heritage Month
And November is American Indian Heritage Month. All of these heritage months exist because
of the hard work and dedication of organizers who have put together curriculum and petitioned
the government to legally observe these months as commemorative months.
"White" History month is a bit complicated because historically the definition of "White"
has shifted and changed. The Irish and the Italians, for example, had
complicated experiences with accessing the legal definition of whiteness when they first
came to America. Historically anti-black racism often aided in the social and then legal inclusion
of other groups like the Italians and the Irish into whiteness.
So even though words like "Black" and "White" seem the same, they've functioned quite differently
in this country and I doubt most people who want to celebrate their heritage want to celebrate
the unfortunate history of White Supremacy.
Most groups we consider white have vastly different immigration histories in this country.
The Dutch and the Germans, for example, had experiences that were quite different from
each other and I think we should celebrate those distinct differences.
While it's true that the label "black" includes various cultures and experiences, historically,
that hasn't truly influenced how black people experienced racism in America. And "Black
History" is largely about the people who, despite the obstacles of racism and prejudice,
managed to make their mark on history. Carter G Woodson was the son of slaves who were actively
denied their access to education. Black History Month exists to remind all of us of the contributions
Black People have made to this country. Woodson famously said :"
“If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible
factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”
Well, I hope this video helped you understand Black History Month a bit more! If you liked
this video, I hope you'll continue to help me bring this content to you by joining my
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can learn, share and grow together.