Black History Month Past and Present

It is not a coincidence that the month of February was chosen to recognize Black
History. In 1926, Negro History Week was launched by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a
native of Buckingham County in Virginia, as an initiative to bring national
attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history.
Woodson chose the second week of February because it marks the birthdays of
Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. February has several other important
dates in the history of Black people, such as the founding of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 in New York
City.

Born to former slaves in Kentucky, Woodson earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University. During his studies he was disturbed to find that history books largely ignored the Black population. He decided to take on the challenge of writing Blacks
into American history by establishing in 1915 the Association for the Study of
Negro (now called Afro-American) Life and History. In1926, Negro History Week was expanded to Black History Month. 

Various events throughout the state are scheduled to honor Black history. To name a few:

• On Sunday, Feb. 13, at 3 p.m., Sacred Heart University will host a talk and book signing by Dr. Yvonne Thornton, as part of their “Join the Conversation” series. The event is free and open to the public, but a $5 donation is suggested to support WSHU public radio. Dr. Thornton’s newest book is Something to Prove: A Daughter’s Journey to Fulfill a Father’s Legacy.
• The African-American Association of Fairfield County lists several events on their Facebook page. Go to www.facebook.com/pages/African-AmericanAssociation.
• TheWebb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield has a special tour of its three homes, which includes the stories of enslaved and free African- Americans who lived in that town during the 18^th century. Dates and times are Feb.18 and 25 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Feb. 19 and 26 from 1 p.m-4 p.m. Call 860-529-0612 for more information.
• The Connecticut Post website ran an informative article last year by Peter George about the role of Blacks in the Catholic Church, which is chronicled in detail in the book The History of Black Catholics in the United States by the Rev. Cyprian Davis.
• The website www.infoplease.com  has a link titled “Famous Firsts by Black Americans,” a representative sample of which is as follows:

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  • Government - elected governor: L. Douglas Wilder, Virginia, 1990-199
  • Law – Supreme Court justice: Thurgood Marshall, 1967-1991
  • Diplomacy – Nobel Peace Prize winner: Ralph J. Bunch, 1950, for mediating the
  • Arab-Israeli truce
  • Military –Congressional Medal of Honor recipient: Sgt. William H. Carrey, during the Civil War
  • Science and Medicine – inventor of the Blood Bank: Dr. Charles Drew, 1940
  • Scholarship – Rhodes Scholar:  Alain L. Locke, 190
  • Literature– Pulitzer Prize (poetry): Gwendolyn Brooks, 1950
  • Nobel Prize for Literature:Toni Morrison, 1993
  • Sports – Major League baseball: Jackie Robinson, 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers