✊🏾📚 Before there was Black History Month, there was Dr. Carter G. Woodson—a historian, educator, author, and determined advocate for preserving and teaching Black history. Often called the “Father of Black History,” Woodson devoted much of his life to making sure the achievements, experiences, and contributions of Black Americans were studied, documented, and remembered.
Born in Virginia in 1875 to parents who had been enslaved, Woodson overcame enormous obstacles in his pursuit of education. He eventually earned a doctorate from Harvard University in 1912, becoming one of the earliest African Americans to receive a Ph.D. from the institution.
In 1915, Woodson helped establish the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Then, in 1926, he launched Negro History Week. Woodson selected February in connection with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The observance would eventually help lay the foundation for what became Black History Month.
Woodson was also a prolific scholar and author. One of his best-known works, “The Mis-Education of the Negro,” was published in 1933 and continues to be discussed generations later. His life's work helped establish the systematic study and celebration of Black history as an essential part of American history.
This Black History Month, we remember Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the extraordinary legacy he left behind. ✊🏾🖤 If you believe these stories should continue to be told, LIKE this video, SUBSCRIBE, and tell me in the comments which Black history figure you would like to see featured next!
