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75-501: ASALH's official mission is "to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about Black life, history, and culture to the global community." Its official vision is "to be the premier Black Heritage and learned society with a diverse and inclusive membership supported by a strong network of national and international branches to continue the Woodson legacy." ASALH created Negro History Week in 1926. Woodson selected

150-474: A Jamaican activist who worked in New York. Woodson became a regular columnist for Garvey's weekly Negro World . Garvey believed Afro-Americans should embrace segregation, as he contended that race relations were and always would be antagonistic, and his ultimate objective was a "Back-to-Africa" plan as he believed all Afro-Americans should move to Africa. Woodson broke with Garvey when he learned that Garvey

225-500: A Negro History Week was a popular one, and to honor Negro History Week parades, breakfasts, speeches, lectures, poetry readings, banquets, and exhibits were commonly held. The Black United Students and Black educators at Kent State University expanded this idea to include an entire month beginning on February 1, 1970. Since 1976, every US president has designated February as Black History Month . Woodson believed in self-reliance and racial respect, values he shared with Marcus Garvey ,

300-629: A black history tour of famous landmarks in the city, and hosts a youth day for high school students in the area. Numerous organizations have risen out of the ASALH conventions. One such example is the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH), founded at the 1977 ASALH convention in Washington, D.C. The ABWH was founded by three women participants: Rosalyn Terborg-Penn , Eleanor Smith, and Elizabeth Parker. The National Council of Black Studies

375-697: A category of history related to ethnic culture and race. At the time, these educators felt that it was wrong to teach or understand African-American history as separate from more general American history. According to these educators, "Negroes" were simply Americans, darker skinned, but with no history apart from that of any other. Thus Woodson's efforts to get Black culture and history into the curricula of institutions, even historically Black colleges, were often unsuccessful. Woodson criticized Christian churches for offering limited opportunity and requiring segregation. In 1933, he wrote in The Mis-Education of

450-545: A ceremony to apologize for his white ancestors' involvement in the slavery that had oppressed members of Carter G. Woodson's family. Following the reconciliation, both sides of the family developed the Black White Families Reconciliation (BWFR) Protocol, using the creative arts, particularly drumming and storytelling, with the aim of healing racial divides within Black and white families who share

525-690: A heart attack in the office within his home in the Shaw, Washington, D.C. , neighborhood on April 3, 1950, at the age of 74. He is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland . The time that schools have set aside each year to focus on African-American history is Woodson's most visible legacy. His determination to further the recognition of the Black race in American and world history, however, inspired countless other scholars. Woodson remained focused on his work throughout his life. Many see him as

600-416: A man of vision and understanding. Although Woodson was among the ranks of the educated few, he did not feel particularly sentimental about elite educational institutions. The Association and journal that he started are still operating, and both have earned intellectual respect. Woodson's other far-reaching activities included the founding in 1920 of The Associated Publishers in Washington, D.C. This enabled

675-538: A negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization. In 1929, The Journal of Negro History noted that, with only two exceptions, officials with

750-771: A negligible factor in the thought of the world." His stays at the Wabash Avenue YMCA in Chicago and in the surrounding Bronzeville neighborhood, including 1915's Lincoln Jubilee , inspired him to create the ASLNH (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History). Another inspiration was John Wesley Cromwell 's 1914 book, The Negro in American History: Men and Women Eminent in

825-864: A new generation of Black people in historical research and methodology. Believing that history belonged to everybody, not just the historians, Woodson sought to engage Black civic leaders, high school teachers, clergymen, women's groups and fraternal associations in his project to improve the understanding of African-American history. He served as Academic Dean of the West Virginia Collegiate Institute , now West Virginia State University, from 1920 to 1922. By 1922, Woodson's experience of academic politics and intrigue had left him so disenchanted with university life that he vowed never to work in academia again. He continued to write publish and lecture nationwide. He studied many aspects of African-American history. For instance, in 1924, he published

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900-420: A position to develop certain aspects of the life and history of the race which cannot otherwise be treated. In the final analysis, this work must be done by Negroes.... The point here is rather that Negroes have the advantage of being able to think black." Woodson's claim that only Black historians could really understand Black history anticipated the fierce debates that rocked the American historical profession in

975-731: A professor, and served there as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Woodson felt that the American Historical Association (AHA) had no interest in Black history, noting that although he was a dues-paying member of the AHA, he was not allowed to attend AHA conferences. Woodson became convinced he had no future in the white-dominated historical profession, and to work as a Black historian would require creating an institutional structure that would make it possible for Black scholars to study history. Because Woodson lacked

1050-548: A radical. I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help me. His difference of opinion with Grimké, who wanted a more conservative course, contributed to Woodson's ending his affiliation with the NAACP. Woodson devoted the rest of his life to historical research. He worked to preserve the history of African Americans and accumulated a collection of thousands of artifacts and publications. He noted that African-American contributions "were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by

1125-639: A school supervisor in the Philippines , which had recently become an American territory. Woodson later attended the University of Chicago , where he was awarded an A.B and A.M in 1908. He was a member of the first Black professional fraternity Sigma Pi Phi and a member of Omega Psi Phi . Woodson's M.A thesis was titled "The German Policy of France in the War of Austrian Succession." He completed his PhD in history at Harvard University in 1912, where he

1200-478: A small farm. The Woodson family was extremely poor, but proud. Both Woodson's parents told him that it was the happiest day of their lives when they became free. His sister was the poet, teacher, and activist Bessie Woodson Yancey . Woodson was often unable to attend primary school regularly so as to help out on the farm. Through a mixture of self-instruction and four months of instruction from his two uncles, brothers of his mother who were also taught to read, Woodson

1275-475: A teacher and school administrator. Earning graduate degrees at the University of Chicago , Woodson then became the second African American, after W. E. B. Du Bois , to obtain a PhD degree from Harvard University . Woodson is the only person whose parents were enslaved in the United States to obtain a PhD in history. Largely excluded from the uniformly-white academic history profession, Woodson realized

1350-458: Is a membership organization with more than 25 branches. Annually the organization strives to continue its research focus as well as efforts to share and disseminate historical information—for which the organization was founded. One of the major ways the organization focuses it resources in this area is with the ASALH annual convention that takes place in the fall (usually September or October) ASALH hosted its first convention in 1917, two years after

1425-663: Is celebrated in February in the United States and Canada , where it has received official recognition from governments, and more recently has also been celebrated in Ireland and the United Kingdom where it is observed in October. The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) announced

1500-418: Is free," and observed that West Indian societies had been more successful at properly dedicating the necessary amounts of time and resources needed to educate and emancipate people genuinely. Woodson approved of efforts by West Indians to include materials related to Black history and culture into their school curricula. Woodson was ostracized by some of his contemporaries because of his insistence on defining

1575-730: The Black German community began observing Black History Month. Programs have included discussions of black Europeans, international African perspectives, the history of civil rights in the U.S., and apartheid in South Africa. In 1995, after a motion by politician Jean Augustine , representing the riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore in Ontario, Canada's House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month ( French : Mois de l'histoire des Noirs ) and honored Black Canadians . In 2008, Senator Donald Oliver moved to have

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1650-558: The Senate officially recognize Black History Month, which was unanimously approved. Canada defines the festivity as an opportunity to celebrate "the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities who … have done so much to make Canada a culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous country". Ireland's Great Hunger Institute , at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut , notes: "Black History Month Ireland

1725-503: The Universal Negro Improvement Association led by an extremely charismatic Jamaican immigrant Marcus Garvey . In this atmosphere, Woodson was considered by other Black Americans to be one of their most important community leaders who discovered their "lost history." Woodson's project for the "New Negro History" had a dual purpose of giving Black Americans a history to be proud of and to ensure that

1800-689: The White House as part of Black History Month. When asked by President Barack Obama why she was there, McLaurin said: "A Black president. A Black wife. And I'm here to celebrate Black history. That's what I'm here for." In the United Kingdom, Black History Month was first celebrated in October 1987 The year of 1987, recognized as the African Jubilee, was coincidentally the year of the 150th anniversary of Caribbean emancipation,

1875-625: The 1930s, Negro History Week countered the growing myth of the South's "lost cause" , which argued that enslaved people had been well-treated, that the Civil War was a war of "northern aggression", and that Black people had been better off under slavery. Woodson wrote, "When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions, you do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it." Negro History Week grew in popularity throughout

1950-534: The 1960s–1970s when a younger generation of Black historians asserted that only Black people were qualified to write about Black history. Despite these claims, the need for funding ensured that Woodson had several white philanthropists such as Julius Rosenwald , George Foster Peabody , and James H. Dillard elected to the board of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson preferred white patrons such as Rosenwald who were willing to finance his Association without being involved in its work. Some of

2025-571: The 2010 convention was held in Raleigh, NC, the 2011 conference was held in Richmond, VA, and the 2012 convention from September 26 to September 30 in Pittsburgh, PA. According to the Association, the annual convention draws over 1,000 participants. At the convention, ASALH organizes plenary sessions and workshops, facilitates scholarly presentations selected from the "Call for Papers", sponsors

2100-553: The ASALH Press, reissuing Carter G. Woodson's Mis-Education of the Negro . The same year ASALH established The Woodson Review, a magazine that promotes its Annual Black History Theme, including it as part of its Black History Kit. In 2005, ASALH discovered a previously unpublished manuscript by its founder, Carter G. Woodson, and published it in a special edition as Carter G. Woodson's Appeal: The Lost Manuscript Edition. ASALH

2175-402: The Black community, the creation of Black History Month was met with enthusiastic response; it prompted the creation of Black history clubs, an increase in interest among teachers, and interest from progressive whites. Since its inception, Black History Month has expanded beyond its initial acceptance in educational establishments. Carter Woodson's organization, now known as the Association for

2250-572: The Evolution of the American of African Descent . Woodson believed that education and increasing social and professional contacts among Black and white people could reduce racism, and he promoted the organized study of African-American history partly for that purpose. He would later promote the first Negro History Week in Washington, D.C., in 1926, forerunner of Black History Month. The Association ran conferences, published The Journal of Negro History , and "particularly targeted those responsible for

2325-457: The Negro that “the ritualistic churches into which these Negroes have gone do not touch the masses, and they show no promising future for racial development. Such institutions are controlled by those who offer the Negroes only limited opportunity and then sometimes on the condition that they be segregated in the court of the gentiles outside of the temple of Jehovah." Woodson died suddenly from

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2400-650: The Negro Prior to 1861 . His other books followed: A Century of Negro Migration (1918) and The History of the Negro Church (1927). His work The Negro in Our History has been reprinted in numerous editions and was revised by Charles H. Wesley after Woodson's death in 1950. Woodson described the purpose of the ASNLH as the "scientific study" of the "neglected aspects of Negro life and history" by training

2475-488: The Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), designates a theme each year. For example, "Black Health and Wellness" in 2022 focused on medical scholars, health care providers, and health outcomes. The Wall Street Journal describes Black History Month as "a time when the culture and contributions of African Americans take center stage" in a variety of cultural institutions, including theaters, libraries, and museums. Black History Month has garnered attention from

2550-743: The U.S. business community. In 2018, Instagram created its first Black History Month program with the help of its Head of Global Music & Youth Culture Communications, SHAVONE. Instagram's Black History Month program featured a series of first-time initiatives, including a #BlackGirlMagic partnership with Spotify and the launch of the #CelebrateBlackCreatives program, which reached more than 19 million followers. In February 2020, many American corporations commemorated Black History Month, including The Coca-Cola Company , Google , Target Corporation , Macy's , United Parcel Service and Under Armour . On February 18, 2016, 106-year Washington, D.C., resident and school volunteer Virginia McLaurin visited

2625-665: The UK was held in London on October 1, 1987, when Dr. Maulana Karenga from the US was invited to an event by the Greater London Council about Black people's contributions to history. Some institutions have faced criticism for supporting Black History Month with images of people from British Asian backgrounds, using the term "black" to refer to political blackness encompassing all people of color. In Berlin in 1990, members of

2700-616: The afternoon of Douglass's birthday as Douglass Day to teach about his life and work in the city's segregated public schools . The thought process behind the week was never recorded, but scholars acknowledge two reasons for its birth: recognition and importance. In 1915, Woodson had participated in the Lincoln Jubilee , a celebration of the 50 years since emancipation from slavery held in Bronzeville, Chicago . The summer-long Jubilee, which drew thousands of attendees from across

2775-512: The celebration of "Negro History Week," the precursor of Black History Month . Woodson was an important figure to the movement of Afrocentrism , due to his perspective of placing people of African descent at the center of the study of history and the human experience. Born in Virginia , the son of former slaves , Woodson had to put off schooling while he worked in the coal mines of West Virginia . He graduated from Berea College , and became

2850-538: The centenary of the birth of Marcus Garvey and the 25th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity , an institution dedicated to advancing the progress of African states. Black History Month in the UK was organised through the leadership of Ghanaian analyst Akyaaba Addai-Sebo , who had served as a coordinator of special projects for the Greater London Council (GLC) and created a collaboration to get it underway. The first Black History Month celebration in

2925-697: The concept of declaring only one month as Black History Month. Freeman noted, "I don't want a Black history month. Black history is American history." In the US, a theme for each Black History Month is selected by the ASALH: (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority , (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies Carter G. Woodson Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875 – April 3, 1950)

3000-489: The country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture, and community centers, both great and small, when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial . He urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history". In

3075-472: The county to see exhibitions of heritage and culture, impressed Woodson with the need to draw organized focus to the history of black people. He led the founding of the ASNLH in Chicago that fall, toward the end of the Jubilee. Early in the event's history, African-American newspapers lent crucial support. From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of

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3150-575: The education of black children." In January 1916, Woodson began publication of the scholarly Journal of Negro History . It has never missed an issue, despite the Great Depression , loss of support from foundations, and two World Wars. In 2002, it was renamed the Journal of African American History and continues to be published by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Woodson published The Education of

3225-400: The event as "one of the most fortunate steps ever taken by the Association", and plans for an annual repeat of the event continued. At the time of Negro History Week's launch, Woodson contended that the teaching of Black History was essential to ensure the physical and intellectual survival of Blacks within broader society: If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes

3300-513: The extended duties of the Association, Woodson was able to write academic works such as The History of the Negro Church (1922), The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), and others which continue to have wide readership. Woodson did not shy away from controversial subjects, and used the pages of Black World to contribute to debates. One issue related to West Indian/African-American relations. He summarized that "the West Indian Negro

3375-556: The face of widespread disillusionment felt in Black America caused by the "Red Summer", Carter worked hard to improve the understanding of Black history, later writing: "I have made every sacrifice for this movement. I have spent all my time doing this one thing and trying to do it efficiently." The 1920s were a time of rising Black self-consciousness expressed variously in movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and

3450-579: The first study of free Black slaveowners of 1830, in the United States . Woodson became affiliated with the Washington, D.C., branch of the NAACP and its chairman Archibald Grimké . On January 28, 1915, Woodson wrote a letter to Grimké expressing his dissatisfaction with activities and making two proposals: Du Bois added the proposal to divert "patronage from business establishments which do not treat races alike;" that is, boycott racially discriminatory businesses. Woodson wrote that he would cooperate as one of

3525-406: The following decades, with mayors across the United States endorsing it as a holiday. Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970. Six years later, Black History Month was being celebrated all across

3600-630: The funds to finance such a new institutional structure himself, he turned to philanthropist institutions such as the Carnegie Foundation , the Julius Rosenwald Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation . Convinced that the role of his own people in American history and in the history of other cultures was being ignored or misrepresented among scholars, Woodson realized the need for research into

3675-416: The history of Black Americans in the nation's public schools . The first Negro History Week was met with a lukewarm response, gaining the cooperation of the departments of education of the states of North Carolina , Delaware , and West Virginia as well as the city school administrations of Baltimore , New York City , Philadelphia , and Washington, D.C. Despite this limited observance, Woodson regarded

3750-545: The month was dedicated to Josephine Baker , a dancer and member of the French Resistance during World War II born in the United States. In 2020, Black History Month was celebrated in seven African countries for the first time. Participating countries were Benin , Burkina Faso , Chad , Ivory Coast , Comores , Senegal and Cameroon . The event was initiated by the organisation Africa Mondo founded by Mélina Seymour . From 2021 onwards an African History Month

3825-540: The need to make the structures which support scholarship in black history, and black historians. He taught at historically black colleges , Howard University and West Virginia State University , but spent most of his career in Washington, D.C., managing the ASALH, public speaking, writing, and publishing. Carter G. Woodson was born in New Canton, Virginia , on December 19, 1875, the son of former slaves Anne Eliza (Riddle) and James Henry Woodson. Although his father

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3900-458: The neglected past of African Americans. Along with William D. Hartgrove, George Cleveland Hall , Alexander L. Jackson , and James E. Stamps, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASLNH) on September 9, 1915, in Chicago . Woodson's purpose was "to treat the records scientifically and to publish the findings of the world" in order to avoid "the awful fate of becoming

3975-412: The organization was founded. At that time the convention was biennial. During the first convention, Woodson stated the goals of the organization as he saw them: "The organization primary responsibilities would be the publishing of an historical magazine, researching the achievements of Negros, directing a home study program along with writing and publishing books and monographs. Charles Harris Wesley, one of

4050-561: The organization's early developers, was not pleased with the first convention because more race solvers and educators attended than historians, which is in opposition to ASALH’s vision as an historical research society." Each year, the location of the convention rotates to a major US city and coincides with the annual black history theme. The 2008 convention took place in Birmingham, AL, the 2009 convention took place in Cincinnati, OH,

4125-455: The original inspiration for Black History Month, which was a desire to redress how American schools failed to represent Black historical figures as anything other than enslaved people or colonial subjects, Black History Month could reduce complex historical figures to overly simplified objects of " hero worship ". Other critics refer to the celebration as a form of racism. Actor and director Morgan Freeman and actress Stacey Dash have criticized

4200-443: The overlooked role of Black people in American history was acknowledged by white historians. Woodson wanted a history that would ensure that "the world see the Negro as a participant rather than as a lay figure in history." He wrote: "[W]hile the Association welcomes the cooperation of white scholars in certain projects...it proceeds also on the basis that its important objectives can be attained through Negro investigators who are in

4275-466: The post office and have dinner at the YMCA. He would teasingly decline her dinner invitations saying, 'No, you are trying to marry me off. I am married to my work.'" Woodson's most cherished ambition, a six-volume Encyclopedia Africana , was incomplete at the time of his death. In 1998, musician and ethnomusicologist Craig Woodson (once of the experimental rock band The United States of America ), arranged

4350-835: The publication of books concerning Black people that might not have been supported in the rest of the market. He founded Negro History Week in 1926 (now known as Black History Month). He created the Negro History Bulletin , developed for teachers in elementary and high school grades, and published continuously since 1937. Woodson also influenced the Association's direction and subsidizing of research in African-American history. He wrote numerous articles, monographs, and books on Black people. The Negro in Our History reached its 11th edition in 1966, when it had sold more than 90,000 copies. Dorothy Porter Wesley recalled: "Woodson would wrap up his publications, take them to

4425-520: The second week in February, to coincide with marking the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass . Woodson wrote of the purpose of Negro History Week as: It is not so much a Negro History Week as it is a History Week. We should emphasise not Negro History, but the Negro in History. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hatred and religious prejudice. The idea of

4500-457: The second week of February to be "Negro History Week". This week was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and that of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated since the late 19th century. For example, in January 1897, school teacher Mary Church Terrell persuaded the Washington, D.C. school board to set aside

4575-422: The state departments of education of "every state with considerable Negro population" had made the event known to that state's teachers and distributed official literature associated with the event. Churches also played a significant role in the distribution of literature in association with Negro History Week during this initial period, with the mainstream and Black press aiding in the publicity effort. Throughout

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4650-433: The twenty-five effective canvassers, adding that he would pay the office rent for one month. Grimké did not welcome Woodson's ideas. Responding to Grimké's comments about his proposals, on March 18, 1915, Woodson wrote: I am not afraid of being sued by white businessmen. In fact, I should welcome such a law suit. It would do the cause much good. Let us banish fear. We have been in this mental state for three centuries. I am

4725-505: The week to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln . Each year, he established a national theme for the celebration. Since 1976, ASALH extended the celebration for all of February. The organization publishes The Journal of African American History (formerly The Journal of Negro History ) and the Black History Bulletin (formerly the Negro History Bulletin ). In 2005, ASALH established

4800-482: The white board members that Woodson recruited such as historian Albert Bushnell Hart and teacher Thomas Jesse Jones were not content to play the passive role that Woodson wanted, leading to clashes as both Hart and Jones wanted to write about Black history. In 1920, both Jones and Hart resigned from the Board in protest against Woodson. In 1926, Woodson pioneered the celebration of "Negro History Week," designated for

4875-445: The writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them." Race prejudice, he concluded, "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind." The summer of 1919 was the " Red Summer ," a time of intense racial violence that saw about 1,000 people killed between May and September. Most of them were Black. In

4950-416: Was Albert Bushnell Hart , who had also been the advisor for Du Bois, with Edward Channing and Charles Haskins also on the committee. After earning his doctoral degree, he continued teaching in public schools – no university was willing to hire him – ultimately becoming the principal of the all-Black Armstrong Manual Training School in Washington D.C. He later joined the faculty at Howard University as

5025-481: Was able to master most school subjects. At the age of seventeen, Woodson followed his older brother Robert Henry to Huntington, West Virginia , where he hoped to attend Douglass High School , a secondary school for African Americans founded there. Woodson worked in the coal mines near the New River in southern West Virginia, which left little time for pursuing an education. At the age of twenty in 1895, Woodson

5100-547: Was also conceptualized at an ASALH convention. Negro History Week Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States , where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the African diaspora , initially lasting a week before becoming a month-long observation since 1970. It

5175-403: Was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the history of the African diaspora , including African-American history . A founder of The Journal of Negro History in 1916, Woodson has been called the "father of black history." In February 1926, he launched

5250-465: Was celebrated in March. When first established, Black History Month resulted in some controversy. Those who believed that Black History Month was limited to educational institutions questioned whether it was appropriate to confine the celebration of Black history to one month, as opposed to the integration of Black history into mainstream education for the whole year. Another concern was that, contrary to

5325-634: Was finally able to enter Douglass High School full-time and received his diploma in 1897. From his graduation in 1897 until 1900, Woodson was employed as a teacher at a school in Winona , West Virginia. His career advanced further in 1900 when he became the principal of Douglass High School, the place where he had started his academic career. Between 1901 and 1903, Woodson took classes at Berea College in Kentucky , eventually earning his bachelor's degree in literature in 1903. From 1903 to 1907, Woodson served as

5400-551: Was illiterate, Carter's mother, Anna, had been taught to read by her mistress. His father, James, during the Civil War , had helped Union soldiers near Richmond , after escaping from his owner, by leading them to Confederate supply stations and warehouses to raid army supplies. Thereafter, and until the war ended, James had scouted for the Union Army. In 1867, Anna and James married, and later moved to West Virginia after buying

5475-660: Was initiated in Cork in 2010. This location seems particularly appropriate as, in the 19th century, the city was a leading center of abolition , and the male and female anti-slavery societies welcomed several black abolitionists to lecture there, including Charles Lenox Remond and Frederick Douglass ." In France, Black History Month was first organized in 2018 in Bordeaux . Since then, there have been celebrations in Paris , Le Havre , Guadeloupe , La Rochelle and Bayonne . In 2022

5550-685: Was meeting with the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan to discuss how the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Klan could work together to achieve his "Back-to-Africa" plans. Woodson's political activism placed him at the center of a circle of many Black intellectuals and activists from the 1920s to the 1940s. He corresponded with W. E. B. Du Bois , John E. Bruce , Arturo Alfonso Schomburg , Hubert H. Harrison , and T. Thomas Fortune , among others. Even with

5625-490: Was the second African American (after W. E. B. Du Bois ) to earn a doctorate. His doctoral dissertation, The Disruption of Virginia , was based on research he did at the Library of Congress while teaching high school in Washington, D.C. During his research, Woodson came into conflict with his supervisors, causing professor of history, Frederick Jackson Turner , to intervene on Woodson's behalf. Woodson's dissertation advisor

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