Every day in February, the Office of Multicultural Affairs will recognize and honor a prominent figure, event, or locale of Black History, in the United States and beyond. While you may be familiar with many, we hope that you will learn something new about everyone mentioned. You may remember our first honoree from February 1, 2018; but we believe it is fitting, to begin with, him again.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, often referred to as the “father of Black History Month” was a well-known Black author, publisher, editor, and historian. Woodson was responsible for many scholarly books that helped highlight the contributions of African Americans to the history and growth of America, along with numerous magazine articles of the same sort. He was deeply involved in several historical organizations, mainly the “Association for the Study of Negro Life and History,” which helped spread his message of black positivity and pride through their quarterly publication Journal of Negro History.1 In 1926, Woodson launched a celebration of black history through the annual observance of “Negro History Week.” This weeklong celebration became “Black History Month” in 1976. On the Carter G. Woodson Museum’s website, they claim that Woodson chose February for this celebration because of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12th) and Frederick Douglass' birthday (February 14th). 2
1 https://www.naacp.org/naacp-history-carter-g-woodson/
2 http://www.woodsonmuseum.org/about-us
To learn more about Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Black History Month, visit
http://time.com/5128456/carter-g-woodson-black-history-month/