BLACK HISTORY MONTH
The Origin of Black History Month
Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950), noted Black scholar and historian and son of former slaves, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915, which was later renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He initiated Black History Week, February 12, 1926. For many years the 2nd week of February (chosen so as to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln) was celebrated by Black people in the United States. In 1976, as part of the nation's Bicentennial, it was expanded and became established as Black History Month, and is now celebrated all over North America.
The ASALH has established the national theme since 1926. The Association has historically worked to conserve, preserve and perpetuate African American history and culture. At their site, you can order their Black History Learning Resource Package.
Official Theme for 2008: "Carter G. Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism"
USEFUL LINKS
Gateway to African-American History - Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State
"I Have a Dream" - Address delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom - The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University
Facts for Features: Black History Month February 2008, December 3, 2007
Black History Month Resources - Department of History/Tennessee Technological University
The Amistad Revolt: A Historical Legacy of Sierra Leone and the United States - Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State. A brief factual history of how 53 slaves - captured by the Spanish, principally from the African colony of Sierra Leone - revolted aboard the transport ship "Amistad," were interred in the United States, and eventually won their freedom through the U.S. judicial system.
The Civil Rights Movement and the Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. - Bureau of International Information Programs/U.S. Department of State. A history of the contemporary civil rights movement in the United States, including a chronology of key events, brief biographical information on two centuries of African-American leaders, and excerpts from King's speeches and writings.
Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
Library of Congress
- The African-American Mosaic - A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture
- African-American Odyssey - rare and unique items from the Library's vast African-American collections
- Born in Slavery - Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 - Manuscript Division and Prints and Photographs Division
National Park Service
Africans in America - The Public Broadcasting Service. This web site chronicles the history of racial slavery in the United States - from the start of the Atlantic slave trade in the 16th century to the end of the American Civil War in 1865.
 The Death of Coretta Scott King
- President Honors Coretta Scott King at Homegoing Celebration, New Birth Missionary Church, Atlanta, Georgia, February 7, 2006
- A Proclamation by the President: Death of Coretta Scott King, Washington, D.C., February 6, 2006
- Austrian EU Presidency statement on the death of Ms. Coretta King, February 2, 2006
- President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of Coretta Scott King, Washington, D.C., January 31, 2006
- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Washington, D.C., January 31, 2006
- Remembering Coretta Scott King, White House Photos
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