The seeds for Black History
Month were planted in 1926 when the Association for the Study of African
American Life and History (ASALH) established the second week of February as
Black History Week. Historian Carter G. Woodson pioneered the idea and got a
handful of education departments to recognize the week in their schools. Fast
forward 95 years, and the week has evolved into a month-long tradition that is
universally recognized across the country.
Many of Woodson’s aspirations
for Black History Week still resonate today. ASALH, which Woodson founded,
describes the original vision for the week as “a special time for us to
collectively celebrate our racial pride as well as collectively assess white
America’s commitment to its professed ideals of freedom.” For Woodson, Black
History Week was just one of many tactics for shining light on and celebrating
the Black experience. His academic work showed him the need for increased
awareness of Black history in our education system and cultural sphere.
The underrepresentation of
Black history in curriculum has been a long-lasting tension point. In the
mid-1960s, there were several student protests at universities demanding courses
and departments dedicated to Black Studies and African American history. One
such protest was organized at Kent State in Ohio where students planned the
first month-long Black History celebration. Many college students today are
still demanding a curriculum that better reflects Black Americans’ role in
shaping this nation. The education problem is also apparent in primary and
secondary schooling, particularly in the South where some school systems refuse
to teach AP US History because of its curriculum on slavery. Former President
Trump’s executive order for a more “patriotic” education can be understood as
an attempt to whitewash US history.
Black History Month was
intended to be a safeguard against this type of erasure. In Woodson’s eyes,
erasure had fatal consequences. “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile
tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it
stands in danger of being exterminated.” Black history became officially etched
in our national consciousness in 1976 when President Gerald Ford recognized the
month and lauded the accomplishments of Woodson and Black Americans in general.
Our story and our efforts to
share it with the world continue on. Woodson would smile with pride not only at
national observance of Black History Month, but also in response to the many
voices who have dedicated themselves to sharing our history each and every day
no matter the month. From the 1619 project to the National Museum of African
American History and Culture, more seeds of knowledge are being planted. If we
continue to nourish these efforts with the attention they deserve, they will
produce the fruits of equality and justice.
