W.E.B. DuBois once stated, “What would America be without a Negro citizen?” Black History Month is the ceremonial and traditional celebration of the excellence of African Americans.
Black History Month involves acknowledging significant African-Americans, such as Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King Jr., and Sojourner Truth.
Black History Month is celebrated in the month of February in the United States and Canada, and the month of October in the United Kingdom.
Historically, Black History Month is an expansion of Negro History Week, which was first initiated in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson.
Woodson established the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, which launched Black History Month in 1976.
When Negro History Week was in existence, Woodson chose the second week of February because it continued the birthdays of two very important men who were involved in liberating African Americans from persecution.
These men were Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. During the 1960s the black power movement began to rise and the African American community felt that Negro History Week was not adequate.
Black History Month was declared. As the years passed, the month of February not only contains the birthdays of those two considerable men, but also the birthdays and historical markings of other people and events notable to the African American community.
Landmarks in February include the birth of civil rights leader W.E.B. Dubois, the 15th amendment- which allowing blacks to vote, Hiram R. Revels, the first black senator, was sworn into office, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded, and black nationalism militant leader, Malcolm X, was shot to death by three black Muslims.
According to Dr. James Jones III, history professor of PVAMU, the next stage of black history should be a core curriculum from K-12 grade levels.
During Black History Month children are usually taught about Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Jackie Robinson, Oprah, and even Borack Obama. Gaining access to children’s minds at that level would educate and inspire them better.