Black History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in the month of February, while in the UK it is held in the month of October.
The remembrance was originated in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson as "Negro History Week". Woodson chose the second week of February because it marked the birthdays of two Americans who greatly influenced the lives and social condition of African Americans: former President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Purpose
When the tradition of Black History Month was started in the US, many in mainstream academia had barely begun to explore black history. At that point, most representation of blacks in history books was only in reference to the low social position they held as slaves and their descendants, with the exception of George Washington Carver. Black History Month can also be referred to as African-American History Month, or African Heritage Month. W.E.B. DuBois' 1935 work "Black Reconstruction" was an early work in history that pointed to black contributions.
In the United Kingdom (UK), Black History Month is celebrated in the month of October. The official guide to Black History Month in the UK is published by Sugar Media, Ltd., which produces 100,000 copies nationwide.[cite web|url=http://www.blackhistorymonthuk.co.uk/|publisher="Black History Month UK"|title="Black History Month UK"|] ]Part of the aim of Black History Month is to recognize significant contributions to society made by people with African heritage and how their history is integral to mainstream narratives. It demonstrates how all peoples contribute to a culture.
Controversy
Black History Month sparks an annual debate about the continued usefulness and fairness of a designated month dedicated to the history of one race. Critical op-ed pieces have appeared in the "Cincinnati Enquirer" [http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050206/EDIT03/502060303/1023] and "USA Today" [http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/columnist/wickham/2005-02-14-wickham_x.htm] .
Some African American radical/nationalist groups, including the Nation of Islam, have criticized Black History Month. Other critics contend that Black History Month is irrelevant because it has degenerated into a shallow ritual.[cite web|url=http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2476/|publisher="Salim Kwakiutl's"|title="Black History Month Matters"|] . Some, like Morgan Freeman, say that it serves to undermine the contention that black history "is" American history.]Woodson hoped that the remembrance would eventually be eliminated, when African-American history would be fully integrated with American history.
ee also
* African American history - Black History
* African-Americans
* American Civil Rights Movement (1896-1954)
* American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
* Civil rights
* Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
* Racial segregation in the United States
* Great Migration (African American)
* History of slavery in the United States
* African American newspapers
* Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
* National Hispanic Heritage Month
* List of commemorative days
External links
* [http://blackhistorydaily.com Black History Daily - 365 days a year]
* [http://www.cityultima.com/Black_History_Month Black History Month London]
* [http://www.dalnet.lib.mi.us/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?p=about&c=baa Black Abolitionist Digital Archive]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/blackhistory/ Black History on BBC 1Xtra - Timeline, videos, documentaries and info on UK music.]
* [http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhm1.html Black History Month from Infoplease.com] Articles, timelines, and other reference resources
* [http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/index.jsp Black History] - Timeline and many videos to watch at the Biography Channel website
* [http://www.asalh.org/ The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History]
* [http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ccbh/ Center for Contemporary Black History] at Columbia University
* [http://www.riseisrael.com/bhm-index.html Hidden Black History Resource] (requires Macromedia Flash player)
* [http://www.riseisrael.com/BHM.html It's more than History] (requires Macromedia Flash player)
* [http://www.army.mil/africanamericans/ African Americans in the U.S. Army]
* [http://www.blackhistory.com/ Black History Month]
* [http://www.floridamemory.com/OnlineClassroom/blackhistory/ Black History Month resources provided free for public use by the State Archives of Florida]
* [http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/index.htm Black biographies] cited in MS Encarta 2006
* [http://www.africanholocaust.net/ African Holocaust: Celebrating history and culture]
* [http://www.mlkmemorial.org/ The Washington, DC Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Project Foundation]
* [http://www.asalh.org/ The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History]
* [http://atrainhockey.blogspot.com/search?q=bhm/ A-Train Hockey Vlog Black History Month Articles & Interviews]
* [http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/index.htm Culture & Change: Black History in America | Scholastic.com]
* [http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/blackhistory/index.html Black Canada and the Journey to Freedom | Virtualmuseum.ca] black history month is to BE KNOWN. KMT
