“I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom, equality, justice and prosperity for all people,” explained Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks.
Through annual “Black History” celebrations, activists and revolutionaries such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy have not only been made famous for their contributions, but they have been looked to as American role models.
The month of February has been Black History Month for the past 32 years (October in the United Kingdom). The month is designated to recognize and often highlight the achievements in advancement of the “African American” community in America, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Many historians question whether one particular race should be designated a calendar month in remembrance of their history and the accomplishments of their particular people.
According to ASALH’s (Association for the Study of African American Life and Culture) official web page,
Mary Church Terrell is believed to have publicly celebrated the history of her ancestors first.
Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Terrell’s sorority, in conjunction with the black collegiate fraternity Omega Psi Phi began to honor blacks’ achievements the week of Feb. 14, 1924.
The organizations chose the week of Feb. 14 because that day is when Frederick Douglas, a former slave, had marked as his own birthday.
“Who would be free themselves must strike the blow… I urge you to fly to arms and smite to death the power that would bury the Government and your liberty in the same hopeless grave. This is your golden opportunity,” said Frederick Douglas, speaking about equality in America.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the director of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (currently ASALH) was a close friend and colleague of Terrell.
With his ranking position, Woodson adopted the weeklong celebration and gained national attention for the “Black History movement.” In 1926, the week of Feb. 14 was recognized as “Negro History Week.”
Dr. Carter seized the opportunity Douglas had spoke of and dealt a great blow for Africans and Americans alike.
According to the History of Black History Month, from Indiana.edu, Dr. Woodson, known as the ‘Father of Black History,’ chose the second week of February because it commemorates the birthdays of two men who greatly affected the African American community: Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglas (Feb. 14).
From 1926 to 1975 (49 years), black revolutionaries and civil rights activists were honored through a week-long celebration; however in 1976, the country had come to recognize the significance in black history. In honor of the nation’s bicentennial that same year, the weeklong observance of black history has expanded into what is now a month long observance.
Teyhlor Robinson, a senior mass communications major from Baker, celebrates Black History Month by “taking the time once a week to sit and research different aspects of black history.”
“To me,” Robinson explained, “Black History Month is a celebration of what African Americans past, present and potentially future have brought to the world.”
Black History Month “is a small representation of a much bigger topic overlooked in America,” said Brandon Leonard, business management major from Amite. “We (African Americans) were free (roughly) 130 years ago and people overlook the years we were in bondage.”
In February, “I make it my business to read a book or two published by black authors,” Leonard added.
“Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair,” said Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This situation has changed, just as King prophesized, but will Black History and American History be one in the same as Woodson had imagined?