Black History Month

Last updated

Black History Month
Also calledAfrican-American History Month
Observed by United States, Canada, [1] Ireland, United Kingdom [2]
SignificanceCelebration of the African diaspora including, African-American history
Date
  • February (US and Canada)
  • October (Europe)
FrequencyAnnual

Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month and was formerly known as Negro History Month before 1976. [3] It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, initially lasting a week before becoming a month-long observation since 1970. [4] It is celebrated in February in the United States [5] and Canada, [6] where it has received official recognition from governments, but more recently has also been celebrated in Ireland and the United Kingdom where it is observed in October. [7] [8]

Contents

Origin

Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) Carter G Woodson portrait.jpg
Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950)

Negro History Week (1926)

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week". [9] This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and that of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated since the late 19th century. [9] For example, in January 1897, school teacher Mary Church Terrell persuaded the Washington, D.C. school board to set aside the afternoon of Douglass's birthday as Douglass Day to teach about his life and work in the city's segregated public schools. [10] The thought process behind the week was never recorded, but scholars acknowledge two reasons for its birth: recognition and importance. [11] In 1915, Woodson had participated in the Lincoln Jubilee, a celebration of the 50 years since emancipation from slavery held in Bronzeville, Chicago. The summer-long Jubilee, which drew thousands of attendees from across the county to see exhibitions of heritage and culture, impressed Woodson with the need to draw organized focus to the history of black people. He led the founding of the ASNLH in Chicago that fall, toward the end of the Jubilee. [10]

Early in the event's history, African-American newspapers lent crucial support. [12] From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of Black Americans in the nation's public schools. The first Negro History Week was met with a lukewarm response, gaining the cooperation of the departments of education of the states of North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia as well as the city school administrations of Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. [13] Despite this limited observance, Woodson regarded the event as "one of the most fortunate steps ever taken by the Association", and plans for an annual repeat of the event continued. [13]

At the time of Negro History Week's launch, Woodson contended that the teaching of Black History was essential to ensure the physical and intellectual survival of Blacks within broader society:

If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization. [14]

In 1929, The Journal of Negro History noted that, with only two exceptions, officials with the state departments of education of "every state with considerable Negro population" had made the event known to that state's teachers and distributed official literature associated with the event. [15] Churches also played a significant role in the distribution of literature in association with Negro History Week during this initial period, with the mainstream and Black press aiding in the publicity effort.

Throughout the 1930s, Negro History Week countered the growing myth of the South's "lost cause", which argued that enslaved people had been well-treated, that the Civil War was a war of "northern aggression", and that Black people had been better off under slavery. Woodson wrote, "When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions, you do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it." [16]

Negro History Week grew in popularity throughout the following decades, with mayors across the United States endorsing it as a holiday. [9]

Black History Month (1970)

The Black United Students first Black culture center, Kuumba House in Kent State, where many events of the first Black History Month celebration took place Kuumba House - Black United Students 1st Black Culture Center 1969.jpg
The Black United Students first Black culture center, Kuumba House in Kent State, where many events of the first Black History Month celebration took place

Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970. [5]

Six years later, Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture, and community centers, both great and small, when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. He urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history". [17]

Observance by region

United States

In the Black community, the creation of Black History Month was met with enthusiastic response; it prompted the creation of Black history clubs, an increase in interest among teachers, and interest from progressive whites. [9]

Since its inception, Black History Month has expanded beyond its initial acceptance in educational establishments. Carter Woodson's organization, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), designates a theme each year. [18] For example, "Black Health and Wellness" in 2022 focused on medical scholars, health care providers, and health outcomes. [19] The Wall Street Journal describes Black History Month as "a time when the culture and contributions of African Americans take center stage" in a variety of cultural institutions, including theaters, libraries, and museums. [20]

Black History Month has garnered attention from the U.S. business community. [21] In 2018, Instagram created its first Black History Month program with the help of its Head of Global Music & Youth Culture Communications, SHAVONE. Instagram's Black History Month program featured a series of first-time initiatives, including a #BlackGirlMagic partnership with Spotify and the launch of the #CelebrateBlackCreatives program, which reached more than 19 million followers. [22] In February 2020, many American corporations commemorated Black History Month, including The Coca-Cola Company, Google, Target Corporation, Macy's, United Parcel Service and Under Armour. [23]

On February 18, 2016, 106-year Washington, D.C., resident and school volunteer Virginia McLaurin visited the White House as part of Black History Month. When asked by President Barack Obama why she was there, McLaurin said: "A Black president. A Black wife. And I'm here to celebrate Black history. That's what I'm here for." [24] [25]

United Kingdom

1822 handbill advertising a Black boxing tutor in Alnwick, Northumberland; tweeted by Northumberland Archives as part of Black History Month in 2020 Handbill - Pugilism, or Self-Defence - 1822.jpg
1822 handbill advertising a Black boxing tutor in Alnwick, Northumberland; tweeted by Northumberland Archives as part of Black History Month in 2020

In the United Kingdom, Black History Month was first celebrated in October 1987 [27] The year of 1987, recognized as the African Jubilee, was coincidentally the year of the 150th anniversary of Caribbean emancipation, the centenary of the birth of Marcus Garvey and the 25th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity, an institution dedicated to advancing the progress of African states. [28] Black History Month in the UK was organised through the leadership of Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, who had served as a coordinator of special projects for the Greater London Council (GLC) and created a collaboration to get it underway. [29] [30] The first Black History Month celebration in the UK was held in London on October 1, 1987, when Dr. Maulana Karenga from the US was invited to an event by the Greater London Council about Black people's contributions to history. [31]

Some institutions have faced criticism for supporting Black History Month with images of people from British Asian backgrounds, using the term "black" to refer to political blackness encompassing all people of color. [32]

Germany

In Berlin in 1990, members of the Black German community began observing Black History Month. Programs have included discussions of black Europeans, international African perspectives, the history of civil rights in the U.S., and apartheid in South Africa. [33]

Canada

In 1995, after a motion by politician Jean Augustine, representing the riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore in Ontario, Canada's House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month (French : Mois de l'histoire des Noirs) and honored Black Canadians. [34] In 2008, Senator Donald Oliver moved to have the Senate officially recognize Black History Month, which was unanimously approved. [6]

Canada defines the festivity as an opportunity to celebrate "the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities who … have done so much to make Canada a culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous country". [35]

Republic of Ireland

Ireland's Great Hunger Institute, at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, notes: "Black History Month Ireland was initiated in Cork in 2010. This location seems particularly appropriate as, in the 19th century, the city was a leading center of abolition, and the male and female anti-slavery societies welcomed several black abolitionists to lecture there, including Charles Lenox Remond and Frederick Douglass." [36]

France

In France, Black History Month was first organized in 2018 in Bordeaux. [37] Since then, there have been celebrations in Paris, Le Havre, Guadeloupe, La Rochelle and Bayonne. In 2022 the month was dedicated to Josephine Baker, a dancer and member of the French Resistance during World War II born in the United States. [38]

Africa

In 2020, Black History Month was celebrated in seven African countries for the first time. Participating countries were Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Comores, Senegal and Cameroon. The event was initiated by the organisation Africa Mondo founded by Mélina Seymour. From 2021 onwards an African History Month was celebrated in March.[ citation needed ]

Developments

When first established, Black History Month resulted in some controversy. [39] Those who believed that Black History Month was limited to educational institutions questioned whether it was appropriate to confine the celebration of Black history to one month, as opposed to the integration of Black history into mainstream education for the whole year. Another concern was that, contrary to the original inspiration for Black History Month, which was a desire to redress how American schools failed to represent Black historical figures as anything other than enslaved people or colonial subjects, Black History Month could reduce complex historical figures to overly simplified objects of "hero worship". Other critics refer to the celebration as a form of racism. [40] Actor and director Morgan Freeman and actress Stacey Dash have criticized the concept of declaring only one month as Black History Month. [41] [42] Freeman noted, "I don't want a Black history month. Black history is American history." [43]

Themes

In the US, a theme for each Black History Month is selected by the ASALH: [44] [45] [46]

See also

Other history months

Heritage months

International

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Compton, Wayde (February 14, 2016), "Remembering Hogan's Alley, hub of Vancouver's black community", CBC News. Archived March 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine .
  2. ↑ May, Theresa (September 28, 2016), "Black History Month Introduction; Prime Minister, Theresa May" Archived March 13, 2017, at the Wayback Machine , September 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future: The Continuing Importance of Black History Month". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ Chambers, Veronica; Law, Jamiel (February 25, 2021). "How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Wilson, Milton. "Involvement/2 Years Later: A Report On Programming In The Area Of Black Student Concerns At Kent State University, 1968–1970". Special Collections and Archives: Milton E. Wilson, Jr. papers, 1965–1994. Kent State University. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
  6. 1 2 "About Black History Month". Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  7. ↑ Ryan, Órla (October 4, 2014). "Ireland becomes fourth country in world to celebrate Black History Month". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  8. ↑ "BHM365". Black History Month 365. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Scott, Daryl Michael (December 29, 2011), "The Origins of Black History Month", Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Archived February 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine .
  10. 1 2 Chambers, Veronica; Jamiel Law (ill.) (February 25, 2021). "How Negro History Week Became Black History Month and Why It Matters Now". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  11. ↑ Reddick, L. D. (January–June 2002). "25 Negro History Weeks". The Negro History Bulletin. 65.
  12. ↑ Delmont, Matthew F. (2019). Black Quotidian: History. Stanford University Press. ISBN   978-1503607040 . Retrieved February 4, 2022.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  13. 1 2 Woodson, C. G. (April 1926). "Negro History Week". Journal of Negro History. 11 (2): 238–242. doi:10.2307/2714171. JSTOR   2714171. S2CID   150316762.
  14. ↑ Woodson, C. G. (April 1926). "Negro History Week". Journal of Negro History. 11 (2): 239. doi:10.2307/2714171. JSTOR   2714171. S2CID   150316762.
  15. ↑ "Negro History Week-the Fourth Year". The Journal of Negro History. 14 (2): 109–110. April 1929. doi:10.2307/2714065. JSTOR   2714065. S2CID   224844258 – via JSTOR.
  16. ↑ "'Birth of a Nation' and the Birth of Black History Month". The Attic. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  17. ↑ Ford, Gerald R. (February 10, 1976). "President Gerald R. Ford's Message on the Observance of Black History Month". Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum . University of Texas. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  18. ↑ Benbow, Candice Marie (February 1, 2022). "Black History Month has a theme…who knew?" . Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  19. ↑ Franklin, Jonathan (February 1, 2022). "Here's the story behind Black History Month — and why it's celebrated in February". NPR. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  20. ↑ Hughes, Robert J. (January 21, 2000). "During Black History Month, Enjoy a Slice of American Culture". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Secrets of Wealthy Women: African-American Women on Overcoming Obstacles", The Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2019 (subscription required). Archived October 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine .
  22. ↑ Long, Tia (February 27, 2019). "SHAVONE. Is Stepping Out of Tech and Into Her Own". PAPER MAGAZINE. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  23. ↑ Todd, Samantha (February 3, 2020), "How Google, Coca-Cola And Other American Companies Are Celebrating Black History Month 2020", Forbes. Archived October 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine .
  24. ↑ "'I am so happy': 106-year-old woman dances with joy as she meets Obama". CTVNews. February 22, 2016. Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Meet the 106-Year-Old Who Got to Dance with the President and the First Lady". obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. February 22, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  26. ↑ "#BlackHistoryMonth – Boxers 1/2". Northumberland Archives twitter feed. October 8, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  27. ↑ Kalia, Ammar (October 8, 2019), "From emperors to inventors: the unsung heroes to celebrate in Black History Month", The Guardian. Archived November 30, 2020, at the Wayback Machine .
  28. ↑ Addai-Sebo, Akyaaba (October 13, 2020). "Black children must be able to believe in themselves. That's what Black History Month is for". CNN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  29. ↑ Zamani, Kubara, "Akyaaba Addai-Sebo Interview" Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , Every Generation Media, reproduced from New African magazine.
  30. ↑ Wong, Ansel (September 28, 2017). "How did Black History Month come to the UK?". Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER). Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Black History Month FAQ". Black History Month. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  32. ↑ Mohdin, Aamna (March 3, 2018). "'Political blackness': a very British concept with a complex history". Quartz.
  33. ↑ Florvil, Tiffany (February 22, 2019). "Rethinking Black History Month in Germany".
  34. ↑ canadien, Patrimoine (January 29, 2021). "Février est le Mois de l'histoire des Noirs". www.canada.ca.
  35. ↑ "Black History Month 2022: What is it and why is it celebrated?". Al Jazeera. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  36. ↑ "How Ireland is celebrating its National Black History Month". IrishCentral.com. October 12, 2018. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  37. ↑ Elsa Provenzano (February 2, 2018). "Bordeaux: Lancement du premier Black History Month en France !". 20 minutes . Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  38. ↑ Eline Ulysse (February 5, 2022). "La Guadeloupe associée au 5ème "Black History Month" dédié cette année à Joséphine Baker" . Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  39. ↑ Pitre, Abul (November 3, 2002). "The Controversy Around Black History". The Western Journal of Black Studies. 26.
  40. ↑ Hirsch, Afua (October 1, 2010). "Black History Month has to be more than hero worship". The Guardian . Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  41. ↑ McCarter, William Matt (2012). "There is a White Sale at Macy's: Reflections on Black History Month". International Journal of Radical Critique. 1 (2). Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Stacey Dash says Morgan Freeman agrees with her views on Black History Month, ask for apology from 'Twitter haters'". TheGrio . January 27, 2016. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016.
  43. ↑ "Freeman calls Black History Month 'ridiculous'". MSNBC. Associated Press. December 15, 2005. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  44. ↑ "BLACK HISTORY THEMES". ASALH. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  45. ↑ Yancey-Bragg, N'dea (February 1, 2023). "Why is Black History Month in February? How do you celebrate? Everything you need to know". USA Today . Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Black History Month Library Guide | Black History Month Themes". Daenport University. Retrieved May 14, 2023.

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Douglass</span> African-American social reformer, writer, and abolitionist (c. 1818–1895)

Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He became the most important leader of the movement for African-American civil rights in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juneteenth</span> US holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people

Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Its name is a portmanteau of the words "June" and "nineteenth", as it is celebrated on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War. Originating in Galveston, Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the United States, often broadly celebrating African-American culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black studies</span> Academic field focusing on peoples of the African diaspora and Africa

Black studies or Africana studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field that primarily focuses on the study of the history, culture, and politics of the peoples of the African diaspora and Africa. The field includes scholars of African-American, Afro-Canadian, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latino, Afro-European, Afro-Asian, African Australian, and African literature, history, politics, and religion as well as those from disciplines, such as sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, psychology, education, and many other disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. The field also uses various types of research methods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omega Psi Phi</span> International historically African American collegiate fraternity

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (ΩΨΦ) is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, the first at a historically black university, by three Howard University students, Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty adviser, Dr. Ernest Everett Just. Since its founding the organization has chartered over 750 undergraduate and graduate chapters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carter G. Woodson</span> African-American historian, writer, and journalist (1875–1950)

Carter Godwin Woodson was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the history of the African diaspora, including African-American history. A founder of The Journal of Negro History in 1916, Woodson has been called the "father of black history." In February 1926, he launched the celebration of "Negro History Week," the precursor of Black History Month. Woodson was an important figure to the movement of Afrocentrism, due to his perspective of placing people of African descent at the center of the study of history and the human experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emancipation Day</span> Holiday to celebrate emancipation of enslaved people

Emancipation Day is observed in many former European colonies in the Caribbean and areas of the United States on various dates to commemorate the emancipation of slaves of African descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln's Birthday</span> Holiday celebrating Abraham Lincolns birthday

Lincoln's Birthday is a legal, public holiday in some U.S. states, observed on the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth on February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, California, Missouri, and New York observe the holiday.

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is a learned society dedicated to the study and appreciation of African-American History. The association was founded in Chicago on September 9, 1915, during the National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) by Carter G. Woodson, William B. Hartgrove, George Cleveland Hall, Alexander L. Jackson, and James E. Stamps, and incorporated in Washington, D.C., on October 2, 1915. The association is based in Washington, D.C. In 1973, ASNLH was renamed the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy B. Porter</span> American librarian (1905–1995)

Dorothy Louise Porter Wesley was a librarian, bibliographer and curator, who built the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University into a world-class research collection. She was the first African American to receive a library science degree from Columbia University. Porter published numerous bibliographies on African American history. When she realized that the Dewey Decimal System had only two classification numbers for African Americans, one for slavery and one for colonization, she created a new classification system that ordered books by genre and author.

The Journal of African American History, formerly The Journal of Negro History (1916–2001), is a quarterly academic journal covering African-American life and history. It was founded in 1916 by Carter G. Woodson. The journal is owned and overseen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and was established in 1916 by Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland. The journal publishes original scholarly articles on all aspects of the African-American experience. The journal annually publishes more than sixty reviews of recently published books in the fields of African and African-American life and history. As of 2018, the Journal is published by the University of Chicago Press on behalf of the ASALH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African American newspapers</span> Newspapers serving African American communities

African American newspapers are news publications in the United States serving African American communities. Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first African American periodical, Freedom's Journal, in 1827. During the Antebellum South, other African American newspapers sprang up, such as The North Star, founded in 1847 by Frederick Douglass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of African Americans in Houston</span>

The African American population in Houston, Texas, has been a significant part of the city's community since its establishment. The Greater Houston area has the largest population of African Americans in Texas and west of the Mississippi River. Black Enterprise has referred to Houston as a Black mecca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide M. Cromwell</span> American historian (1919–2019)

Adelaide McGuinn Cromwell was an American sociologist and professor emeritus at Boston University, where she co-founded the African Studies Center in 1959, and directed the graduate program in Afro-American studies from 1969 to 1985. She was the first African-American instructor at Hunter College and at Smith College. In 1974 she was appointed as the first African-American Library Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She has written several books on black history, including a groundbreaking study of Boston's black upper class and a biography of Adelaide Casely-Hayford. She died in June 2019 at the age of 99.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnes Kane Callum</span> American genealogist (1925–2015)

Agnes Kane Callum was a genealogist known for her research into Maryland's African-American history. She was a founding member of the Baltimore Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, a frequent columnist for The Catholic Review, and the founding editor of a black genealogical journal, Flower of the Forest. Callum was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland C. McConnell</span> Archivist, historian and author (1910–2007)

Roland C. McConnell (1910-2007) was a Canadian-born American archivist, historian and author.

The Associated Publishers was a producer of printed materials, founded by historian Carter G Woodson in June 1921. The publishing company was founded to initially help Woodson produce his own works and helped many other scholars of black history deliver their works to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akyaaba Addai-Sebo</span> Ghanaian analyst and activist (born 1950)

Akyaaba Addai-Sebo is a Ghanaian analyst, journalist and pan-African activist credited with developing the recognition of October as Black History Month in 1987 in the UK. With Ansel Wong, Addai-Sebo co-edited the 1988 book Our Story: A Handbook of African History and Contemporary Issues. Addai-Sebo's activism spans the African continent, the United Kingdom and the United States, and his influencers include C. L. R. James, Chancellor Williams, John Henrik Clarke, and Jewell Mazique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee</span> American festival in 1915

The National Half Century Exposition and Lincoln Jubilee, was a festival from August 22 to September 16, 1915 held in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It celebrated the 50th anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Held at the Chicago Coliseum near Bronzeville the exhibition was also known as the National Half Century Anniversary Exposition and The Lincoln Jubilee: 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Herman H. Dreer (1888–1981) was an American academic administrator, educator, educational reformer, activist, author, editor, Baptist minister, and civil rights leader. He is best known for writing curriculum and programming for teaching African American History at most grade levels for early 20th-century public schools. Dreer is also credited with initiating Black History Month observance in the United States, alongside Carter G. Woodson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth of July (New York)</span> United States historic celebration

The Fifth of July is a historic celebration of an Emancipation Day in New York, marking the culmination of the state's 1827 abolition of slavery after a gradual legislative process. State law passed under Governor Daniel D. Tompkins a decade earlier had designated Independence Day, the Fourth of July, as when abolition would take effect, but the danger of racist violence led African Americans to celebrate on the following day instead.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.