Black History Month
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Black History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. Since 1976, it is celebrated annually in the United States of America and Canada in February and the United Kingdom in the month of September. In the U.S., Black History Month is also referred to as African-American History Month.
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[edit] History
The remembrance has its roots in 1926 by United States historian Carter G. Woodson as "Negro History Week".[1] Woodson chose the second week of February because it marked the birthdays of two Americans who greatly influenced the lives and social condition of African Americans: former President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass. Woodson also founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
[edit] Controversy
Black History Month sparks an annual debate about the continued usefulness of a month dedicated to the history of one race. Some critics contend that Black History Month undermines the contention that African American history is simply American history.[2] Critical op-ed pieces have appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer[3] and USA Today.[4]
[edit] See also
- African-American history
- American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
- Great Migration (African American)
- History of slavery in the United States
Months:
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- Filipino American History Month
- National Hispanic Heritage Month
- Jewish American Heritage Month
- LGBT History Month
- National Tibetan American Heritage Month
- Puerto Rican Heritage Month
- Women's History Month
- Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
- National Disability Employment Awareness Month
- Irish-American Heritage Month
- Polish-American Heritage Month
Days:
Music : Canadian punk band "Death From Above 1979" recorded a song called Black History Month on their album " You're a woman, I'm a machine "
[edit] References
- ^ Elissa Haney. "The History of Black History". http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmintro1.html. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
- ^ "Black History Month Matters". "Salim Kwakiutl's". http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2476/.
- ^ Byron McCauley (2005-02-06). "Bring Black History into mainstream". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 2006-06-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20060630000657/http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050206/EDIT03/502060303/1023. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ DeWayne Wickham (2005-02-14). "Debunking myths of black history". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2005-02-14-wickham_x.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
[edit] External links
- Black History Month 2010, UK
- The Mis-Education of the Negro Audiobook, Dr. C.G. Woodson, US
- The Real PURPOSE of Black History Month, US
