Black History Month in Our Library and Locally - Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library Blog: Blog
As we begin February, we also mark the beginning of Black History Month.
Black History Month dates back to 1915, when Charter G. Woodson attended the 50th Anniversary of Emancipation, sponsored by the state of Illinois. He, along with others, exhibited displays about black history and highlighted the progress of the black community since the end of slavery. Captivated and inspired by the celebration and the public’s interest, Woodson created the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The goal of the Association was to encourage others to popularize and promote the achievements of the black community. In February 1926, he announced the first “Negro History Week”. Woodson picked February because the month encompasses the birthday of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, “two great Americans who played a prominent role in shaping black history.” Woodson believed, “history was made by the people, not simply or primarily by great men…Rather than focusing on two men [Lincoln and Douglass], the black community…should focus on the countless black men and women who had contributed to the advance of human civilization.”