The “Black’ In History

The month of February has been dedicated to the recognition of Black people, Black leaders, accomplishments, and some of most important events in history. Black History Month was first started by Carter G. Woodson after he felt like America purposely ignored black people and decided to attempt to include blacks in the nation’s history. Woodson established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and in 1926 he coined the second week of February “Negro History Week”. The significance behind his choice of date was the birthdays of both president Abraham Lincoln and activist Fredrick Douglas.
Negro History Week spread quickly and began to be implemented within black communities across the country. The group with Woodson’s leadership successfully completed the goal to dedicate a time period specifically for black people to celebrate their history and later expanded it from a week to a month when it was named Black History Month. In 1976, President Ford urged the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history” and officially recognized the month of February as “Black History Month”.
Sophomore Christopher Amos says that, “Black History month to me means celebrating not only the culture of African Americans, but also the contributions to society that we have made throughout history”.
Black History Month allows for Black people to be confident and prideful about who they are and their heritage regardless of how the world may treat them. The month specifically gives Black people in America a sense of pride and allows many to learn about some of the most glorious accomplishments in history instead of the traditional lessons surrounding African American history.
Typically, recognizing Black leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King is a common part of Black History Month, but there are so many historical Black figures to be remembered. Outside of textbooks, it is important to keep tradition and passed down information from generation to generation to preserve true black history. The recognition of Black people and their overall impact on the world throughout history is essential because it gives a sense of true identity to a culture whose identity is largely associated with bondage.
Former Southern University and current philosophy professor, Manor Batiste feels that black history month is important because, “it is necessary to educate those young and old who are not aware of the contributions that black people have made through history.”
The history of Southern University is also included in Black History Month as it was one of the first institutions and educational systems in the country to be dedicated to educating black people. A notable event during the Civil Rights movement occurred in 1972 when Leonard Brown and Denver Smith were killed after students protested against the state Board of Education. The Smith-Brown student union on campus is named after the two young men that died that day. Many students here at Southern are prideful about attending an HBCU and stress the importance of continuing a tradition.