They Had a Dream

DEREK WU
Staff Writer

Black History Month was formed in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and it began as a week-long celebration instead of a month. In the beginning, they marked the second week of February as Negro History Week, since Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas’ birthdays occurred in the same week and both made large contributions to freeing African Americans from slavery. Carter G. Woodson’s goal was to teach the history of African descent and the importance of the race in modern society. A few decades later, several black students from Kent State University proposed to expand Negro History Week to Black History Month, which was passed within his school and took place one year after in 1970. Black History Month was officially sanctioned by the U.S. government in 1976.

After many years of existence, Black History Month is still celebrated today because of its ability to teach people about a race filled with history.

“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,” Woodson said.