We owe the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the study of black history, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Born to parents of former slaves and enrolled in high school at age twenty, he graduated within two years and later went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. In his studies he was disturbed to find that history books largely ignored the black American population, and it was not until the 20th century that they gained respectable presence in history books.  Woodson determined to write black Americans into the nation’s history. In 1915 he established an organization to promote the scientific study of black life and history, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and a year later founded the widely respected Journal of Negro History. In 1926, he launched Negro History Week as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history. Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. However, February has much more than Douglass and Lincoln to show for its significance in black American history; each day of the month has its own accomplishments. After launching Negro History week (which became Black History Month), Woodson chose to provide a theme for each year to focus the public’s attention.

The ASALH dedicates the 2013 Annual Black History Theme to celebrating the anniversary of two important African American turning points–the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on Washington. The Emancipation Proclamation, decreed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1st, 1863, declared slaves in all confederate states then at war with the Union “forever free” and made them eligible for paid military service in the Union Army. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on August 28th, 1963 in Washington D.C. More than 200,000 advocates took part in the walk. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his ‘‘I Have a Dream’’ speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, noting that the Emancipation Proclamation gave hope to black slaves. The following year Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a real step towards fulfilling the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Woodson and the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s remain to be our role models for advocacy, as they each sought to advance their own rights and others’ awareness. By celebrating Black History Month, we are honoring the past to inspire the future, which can give a healthy sense of self and hope for one’s own future.

Please follow our BVCIL Facebook page to find our daily posts of accomplishments by African Americans on each day for the month of February.