February is Black History Month, the one month throughout the year that Black people can celebrate their accomplishments, their hard work and their strife. You might wonder why Black History month is celebrated in February. On February 12th President Abraham Lincoln was born, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which helped free slaves in America. Lincoln was a catalyst for black people to begin their fight for equal rights. Frederick Douglass’s birthday falls on February 20th, Douglass was an escaped slave who became a prominent activist, author and public speaker. He became a leader in the abolitionist movement to end the practice of slavery. These leaders in America were part of the reason February is celebrated as Black History Month. However, one activist known as the “Father of Black History” inspired a week-long celebration.
Carter G. Woodson, the first man to establish African American studies in the 20th century, joined four others in founding the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). They encourage engagement amongst scholars in the study of Black history. A subject that has been neglected by academia for decades in U.S schools. A few years later Woodson and the ANSLH launched Negro History Week in February 1926. Today we have turned an entire week into a month, which shows the progress we have made as a community. If you are interested in reading some of their work, below is a list of a few of their famous pieces.
- The Mis-Education of the Negro – Carter G. Woodson
- A century of negro migration – Carter G. Woodson
- Free Negro owners of slaves in the United States in 1830, together with Absentee ownership of slaves in the United States in 1830 – Carter G. Woodson
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass – Frederick Douglass
- My Bondage and My Freedom – Frederick Douglass
- “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” ( Speech) – Frederick Douglass