Why do we celebrate African-American History Month?
"Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history."
Those are the words of Dr. Carter Woodson (1875-1950), distinguished African-American educator, historian, author, editor and publisher. He authored numerous scholarly books on the positive contributions of African-Americans to the development of the United States and is known as the Father of Black History. He strongly believed that Black history is necessary for a firm foundation for young African Americans to build on in order to become productive citizens of our society. His message was African-Americans should be proud of their heritage and other people should also know and understand it.
In 1926, Woodson developed and organized Negro History Week, which was expanded in the 1960s to Black History Month. This is a time devoted to the in-depth study of African-American history and promotion of events that focus on their achievements.
The concern with connections to the African and African-American past is not for sentimental or aesthetic reasons, but is very much future-oriented. In our society, much of African and African-American history has been excluded or disregarded. Na'im Akbar (celebrated lecturer, author, scholar, teacher and theoretician) stated: "Without a strong foundation of one's cultural background and history, one does not know where he/she is going." A number of scholars have noted the absence of knowledge and understanding of one's cultural history results in a lost sense of self. John Henrik Clarke, a noted scholar of Egyptology stated, "History is a clock that people use to tell their time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are, and what they are."
Ralph Ellison, writer and author, stated: "When I discover who I am, I'll be free."
From these statements, we discern the significance of African-American history to the psychological and social development and functioning of African-American people.
Furthermore, harmony among diverse groups of people occurs when they begin to understand one another. Carter, who founded the Association of the Study of Negro Life and History, emphasized the purpose of the association was for the "collection of sociological and historical data on the Negro, the study of people of African blood, the publishing of books in the field, and the promotion of harmony between the races by acquainting the one with the other."
Knowledge and understanding of African-American culture and history by non-African American people serve as a challenge to prevailing negative historical stereotypes held by many non-African Americans and thus can foster positive connections.
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Very inspiring article.
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