An Introduction

Black History is American History​

What is Black History Month?
In the words of Jonathon Franklin, writing for National Public Radio, "Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are an indelible part of our country's history."

​How did Black History Month get its start?
Carter G. Woodson is considered the father of Black history.  In 1926 he set out to educate people about the history and culture of Black Americans. His goals was a week-long celebration in public schools across the country, which would coordinate the teaching of such history. Gradually, his idea became more widely accepted, so that by the late 1960s, Negro History Week became Black History Month in certain schools across the country, Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, being one of them.

Then, in 1976, during America's bicentennial celebration, then president Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History Month in order to, "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." 

Why is Black History Month celebrated in February?
February was chosen because it is the birth month of both Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass, Lincoln, of course, wrote the Emancipation Proclamation, and Douglass, a formerly enslaved man, was a leader in the abolitionist movement.
 

💻 Your  Learning Task

You will, over the course of three weeks, select from a menu of choices, various influential Black Americans to read, learn, and write about.  Each week will begin with a new theme for inquiry.  We will use Google Form to respond to the guiding questions of our inquiry.  You will end each Form with a 6-word memoir for the person you learned about.  We will share these memoirs at the end of each week.

NOTE: Look for the link to the Google Forms below in your Google Classroom.

Week 1: ​The Undefeated - 44 of the Most Influential Black Americans in History

Week 2: Resistance and Liberation

Week 3: Black Barrier Breakers - Inventors and Scientists

A Black History Month Playlist