Black History Month in the U.S. started as just a week to honor Black Americans’ contributions to society and civilization. According to a resource created by the Library of Congress and several museums and organizations that is dedicated to the month, historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization Woodson founded, created Negro History Week in 1925. “The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass,” the website states.
“By the time of Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life and substantial progress had been made in bringing more Americans to appreciate the celebration,” the website states. In 1976, the commemoration expanded to a month long, and Woodson’s organization, now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), continues to raise awareness about Black history, life, and culture. Visit ASALH’s website for more information about Woodson and the origins of Black History Month.
This February (and all year round!), celebrate Black whistleblowers by perusing stories of brave individuals WNN has featured in the past.
Dr. Kimberly Young-McLear, Ph.D blew the whistle in 2014 when she reported “gross and unlawful misconduct” in the Coast Guard. According to a letter that...
The Newsboys’ federal lawsuit is pushing back strongly against past allegations that a woman was raped by a Newsboys lighting technician and it asserts that the report was false and contradicted b...