Carter Godwin Woodson is known as the father of black history. In 1926, he began a week long celebration called Negro History Week. Noted author, Lerone Bennett, Jr. wrote the following about Woodson, "It was for the young and for the future that he rummaged in the past. He believed that you look back in order to look forward". Woodson selected February as the month to celebrate Negro History Week because it was the month that Frederick Douglas and President Abraham Lincoln celebrated their birthdays. In the 1960's, Negro History Week evolved into Black History Week. In 1976, the celebration was renamed Black History Month.
One web site says the celebration, "provides an opportunity to acknowledge the historical, political, social, cultural and economic contributions of people of African origin throughout the world."
When I was growing up, I always wondered why the historical accomplishments of blacks were rarely mentioned in my classrooms except during the month of February. During Black History Month, I would be told that Jackie Robinson was the first black player to play major league baseball. I would also get to read about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and listen to his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. Some times I felt like teachers used Black History Month as a pass. It was almost as if they wrote in their lesson plans to only talk about black historical achievement in the month of February. Thankfully, I had parents who made sure I was exposed to the historical accomplishments of all races of people by reading books.
School administrators and parents need to make sure that the history books that are being used in the classrooms have the appropriate historical information in them. They need to make the publishers and authors of the history books accountable for what they write and what they omit.
I guess my answer to the question is that Black History Month and the attention it brings to the historical accomplishments of blacks is very important. It is so important that it deserves to be talked about for more than just the month of February. Black history needs to be included in history lessons every day of the year when applicable. I do not believe there needs to be a designated month of celebration, corporate sponsorships and taped recorded messages in grocery stores.
History should not be rewritten to make it more digestible for todays thin skinned, politically correct society; it should be written and depicted as it happened. The history books should contain the contributions, achievements, and failures of all races of people in our society - Black, White, Native American, Asian, Hispanic, etc. There is no complete and accurate record of history without it. This is the history that should be read and taught on a daily basis in our homes and schools, not just in February.
