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Black History Permeates American History
February 8, 2008

By: Dr. Leo Parvis

Americans celebrate the entire month of February to honor
and appreciate Black America. It started in 1926 as the
"Negro History Week" then the name changed to "Black
History Month." The person whom we should be grateful for
"Black History Month" is Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard
graduate whose parents were slaves.

Dr. Woodson was so passionate about education, first to
elevate his knowledge and understanding of the nation's
ignorance about the black population,and second to educate
the world about how American history books allegedly
disregard the part African Americans played in our history.
He worked tirelessly on the recognition of the social
position of the black population from 1915 to 1926 which
resulted in the creation of the Association for the Study
of Negro Life and History. Today, it is called the
Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and
History.

How We Celebrate

Cultural diversity education is gaining momentum in the
United States in recent years. This is an excellent example
of how promoting diversity helps to create a better world
for us all to live in. When we celebrate the different
cultures in our multicultural society throughout the year,
we give justice and fairness to all of the individuals of
this great nation. From January to December we have many
occasions to celebrate and many reasons to be proud. We
respect and acknowledge all of the different ethnic
minorities of American society from Native Americans (those
who were here before us all), to the recent immigrants who
we call the "New North Americans." Black History Month
should be a month of remembering the history of America at
least from 1619 (when the first group of Africans was
brought to America in colonial times) to late 1800 (when
the black population reached about 13 million), to the
years of the Civil Rights Movement (1950s-1960s) to the
present day.

In this month of celebration, educators and other positive
thinkers organize a variety of activities including but not
limited to poster displays, trivia quizzes, performances,
writing articles, parties, sports, speeches by Civil Rights
leaders and other advocates of peace and freedom, and
showing documentaries about Dr. King's and Rosa Parks'
legacies, and even featuring soul food in our cafeterias
around the country—a taste of African American traditions.

Honoring Those who Made a Difference

Introducing other black leaders of America to the general
public is an important component of Black History Month.
Not many individuals know that besides Martin Luther King
Jr. and Rosa Parks, there were quite a few freedom fighters
whom we neglect to acknowledge. E. D. Nixon was a leader
during the time of the Rosa Parks incident in Montgomery,
Alabama. He and Dr. King were the two prominent figures in
the Bus Boycott and other significant undertakings to reach
the pinnacle for justice and freedom in America. Harry
Belafonte (performer and Dr. King's friend), Andrew Young
(former US ambassador to the UN), Oliver Brown (Linda
Brown's father—of Brown vs. Board of Education fame),
Thurgood Marshall (special counsel to NAACP, and associate
Justice of the US Supreme Court), are others we should
recognize, to name just a few.

In order to become familiar with more of the greatest
African American men and women who helped shaped American
history I recommend reading Molefi Kete Asante's book, a
biographical encyclopedia "100 Greatest African Americans."
Among them are great poets and writers such as Fredrick
Douglass, Langston Hughes, and W.E.B. Du Bois. The life and
legacy of these great individuals are also celebrated in
this month.

It might have been a nice addition to Black History Month
if Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 (the creator of Kwanzaa) had
designated the celebration of Kwanzaa during Black History
Month, instead of the period of December 26th through
January 1st for this cultural celebration.

Be a Part of the Celebration

As Barack Obama suggested becoming an active citizen in the
presidential campaign, I emulate his words to invite all
organizations, particularly educational institutions, to
participate in activities celebrating Black History Month.
After all, black history is American history. We must pay
respect and tributes to those who sacrificed in so many
ways to help shape this great nation as we know it today.

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