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Diversity Affairs Feature

Black History Month

Although it was first honored as a month-long celebration in 1976, the idea of a Black History celebration developed in the early 1900s. In 1915, as part a Harvard doctoral research project, Carter Woodson began work on what would evolve into the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Nearly a decade later, his work and a sponsorship from Omega Psi Phi, a national black fraternity, led to a week-long celebration. Woodson chose mid-February because it encompasses the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two American diversity heroes. Originally “Negro Achievement Week” in 1924 then “Negro history week” two years later, Black history month expanded into a four week celebration in 1976.

As the first of its kind, it paved the way to the culture group month phenomenon, which now includes Women’s History Month (March), Asian/Pacific Islander History Month (May), and Hispanic History Month (September/October), among others.

Although many proponents believe that the month plays a critical role in raising public awareness of diversity, others believe that the content of Black History Month should be celebrated throughout the year. After Martin Luther King Jr Day, the third Monday in January, was signed into law in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, Black History Month has unofficially expanded into a month-and-a-half celebration. Yet some still see these holidays as segregation and have set out to follow up on what Carter Woodson set out to do. Many modern educators believe that incorporating African American figures and their achievements into nation-wide textbooks and curricula is the ideal way of making African American history a year-long celebration.

For information about Carter Woodson (pictured above), visit http://www.chipublib.org/002branches/woodson/woodsonbib.html.

This section on the meaning of African American History Month was written by Anna Albers (Grinnell, KS, Senior), Justin Brown (Pratt, KS, Senior), Phil VanHorn (Abilene, KS, Senior), and Keisha Williams (Garden City, KS, Sophomore).