Meet the man who created Black History Month

#African-AmericanHistory #BlackAmerican #Black History,#AmericanHistory #CarterGWoodson

(CNN)February marks Black History Month, a federally recognized, nationwide celebration that calls on all Americans to reflect on the significant roles that African-Americans have played in shaping US history. But how did this celebration come to be -- and why does it happen in February?

The man behind the holiday

Carter G. Woodson, considered a pioneer in the study of African-American history, is given much of the credit for Black History Month.

The son of former slaves, Woodson spent his childhood working in coal mines and quarries. He received his education during the four-month term that was customary for black schools at the time.

At 19, having taught himself English fundamentals and arithmetic, Woodson entered high school, where he completed a four-year curriculum in two years. He graduated from Berea College in 1903 and went on to earn his master's degree in history from the University of Chicago. He later earned a doctorate from Harvard.

How the holiday came about

Disturbed that history textbooks largely ignored America's black population, Woodson took on the challenge of writing black Americans into the nation's history.

To do this, he established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. He also founded the group's widely respected publication, the Journal of Negro History.

In 1926, Woodson developed Negro History Week. He believed "the achievements of the Negro properly set forth will crown him as a factor in early human progress and a maker of modern civilization."

In 1976, Negro History Week expanded into Black History Month.

Why he picked February

Woodson chose the second week of February for his celebration because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population:

Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery and became an abolitionist and civil rights leader; though his birthdate isn't known, he celebrated it on February 14.

President Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which abolished slavery in America's confederate states; he was born on February 12.

For his work, Woodson has been called the Father of Black History.

A version of this story was first published in 2007.

Comments

What is "intimacy avoidance"? (Glossary of Narcissistic Relationships)

#Intimacy #Narcissistic Relationships #IntimacyAvoidance #Therapy, #Triple5light.com ACON Adult Children of Narcissists BAITING A narcissist loves to provoke a reaction from you, especially in public. They will provoke you into responding in an angry or emotional manner. (Your angry response is further evidence of your unbalanced state of mind). BLACK SHEEP The black sheep is blamed for just about everything that goes wrong within the dysfunctional family. They can’t do anything right. Their achievements are not recognized by the narcissistic parent and are swept under the carpet. BOUNDARIES Boundaries are a code of conduct or an unwritten set of rules which we consider to be reasonable behavior from those around us and our response when someone steps over the line. CLOSURE Closure in a normal relationship involves open and honest communication about what has gone wrong, you then wish each other well, say goodbye and move on. After a relationship with a narcissist e

How a Group of Gay Male Ballet Dancers Is Rethinking Masculinity

#Queerness #Dancers #Ballet #Masculinity #Dance #LGBTQ #Gay These men are finding new stages on which to express their #queerness, collapsing gender barriers in the world of dance. 1. The Ballerino When I was 15, I met a dancer from Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet . The company had come to Los Angeles to dance in the Olympic Arts Festival , and my parents volunteered to host a post-performance dinner in our backyard. I recall about 200 people — family friends, Olympic officials and maybe 25 dancers — eating curry (is that right?) off paper plates. But that’s not what this is about. No, this is about the ballerino — my word for him — I met and what he represented to a lonely gay kid in Southern California in 1984, a kid who had never before met another gay person. Earlier that evening, I had seen the dancer turn, leap and smile onstage, expressing through the mute language of ballet who he was. Something about his movement told me he was gay, and I felt he was dancing not

Juneteenth: An important day that marks the end of slavery in the United States.

#Juneteenth #Hope #Empowerment #Celebration #EmancipationProclamation #AbrahamLincoln #Holiday #BlackAmerican #AfricanAmerican #AmericaHistory #AfricanAmericantherapist #Triple5LightTherapy The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declared freedom for enslaved people in Confederate states. However, it took over two years for the news to reach enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas. On June 19, 1865, Union Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and personally announced the end of slavery, effectively emancipating the remaining enslaved individuals in Texas. His arrival and announcement marked a turning point in the history of slavery in the United States. This momentous event became known as Juneteenth, a combination of 'June' and 'nineteenth.' Juneteenth is a day to remember and celebrate. It's an opportunity to honor, recognize, and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Americans to the n

"Love is a combination of six ingredients: care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust". Bell Hooks

#AfricanAmerican #BellHooks #Love #Respect #WhereWeStand #ClassMatters "Love is a combination of six ingredients: care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect and trust". Bell Hooks A writer, teacher and cultural critic, bell hooks is best known for her work examining systems of domination, especially racism and patriarchy, and how they may be overcome. She has published more than twenty books, including Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black; Killing Rage: Ending Racism , and Where We Stand: Class Matters . hooks says that uncovering and naming the forms of oppression in our society is an extension of her lifelong curiosity about love and her desire to see love manifested. “Perhaps the most common false assumption about love is that it means we will not be challenged or changed,” she once wrote in the Buddhist magazine Shambhala Sun . “When I write provocative social and cultural criticism that causes readers to stretch their minds, to think

Triple5Light Therapy

Search This Blog