Negro History Week
Negro History Week is an annual celebration aimed at increasing awareness and appreciation of African Americans and their historical contributions. Established in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, an influential African American scholar, this event was a response to the lack of representation and acknowledgment of black history in educational curricula. Woodson emphasized the need for a comprehensive understanding of black achievements, which led him to form the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915 and initiate the publication of the Journal of Negro History.
The week was strategically scheduled for the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, figures significant to African American history. As the event gained popularity, it facilitated a collective focus on black history and encouraged diverse communities to engage in the exploration of the African American experience. Resources such as pamphlets, bibliographies, and promotional materials were distributed to support educational initiatives during this week.
In 1976, the association extended and rebranded Negro History Week to Black History Month, further solidifying the importance of recognizing and celebrating African American history. The legacy of Negro History Week continues to influence how American culture acknowledges the contributions and experiences of African Americans.
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Subject Terms
Negro History Week
The Event: Celebration commemorating the place of African Americans in U.S. history.
Date: Established February 1926
Negro History Week was created as an annual celebration to increase awareness and interest in African Americans and their contributions throughout history. Established by African American scholar Carter G. Woodson, Negro History Week focused on the significant achievements and accomplishments of an underrepresented population.
Noted historian, educator, and author Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week in response to what he observed was an absence or exclusion of information about the historical contributions of Africans and peoples of African descent in America. As a historian, Woodson believed strongly in the need to establish a body of literature based on the academic study of black history. Toward this end, he had established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in 1915. The next year, the association began publishing the Journal of Negro History as a regular forum for African American scholarship.
The first Negro History Week celebration took place in the second week of February 1926. Woodson chose the second week of the month because it encompassed the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, whose roles in shaping the history of African Americans were well known. As the popularity of Negro History Week celebrations grew, the ASNLH became a permanent sponsor of the annual event.
Preparations for Negro History Week began months in advance. Woodson, through the association, distributed pamphlets and brochures to state departments of education, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, civic organizations, and black news publications. Woodson included literature and programs emphasizing the achievements and contributions of African Americans, as well as suggestions for how to celebrate the week. To support communities in their educational efforts during Negro History Week, the association produced promotional materials including bibliographies, photographs, and posters. The popularity of Negro History Week continued to increase through the 1920s with outreach to libraries, museums, and educational institutions. Woodson chronicled the yearly successes of Negro History Week celebrations in the Journal of Negro History.
Impact
Negro History Week created a collective focus on black history and facilitated an appreciation for and awareness of the significant roles that African Americans have played in the development of American culture. The annual celebration allowed people of different races, ethnicities, and social backgrounds to come together and participate in learning about the black experience. Woodson, the driving force behind the event, established a successful mechanism through which to disseminate information about black history and culture. In 1976, the ASNLH—itself now the ASALH, or Association for the Study of African American Life and History—expanded and renamed Negro History Week, and it became Black History Month.
Bibliography
Battle, Thomas C., and Donna M. Wells., eds. Legacy: Treasures of Black History. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2006.
Goggin, Jacqueline. Carter G. Woodson: A Life in Black History. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1993.
Woodson, C. G. “Negro History Week.” Journal of Negro History 11, no. 2 (1926): 238–242.