Feb. 25, 2018

Black History Month began in 1915, but wasn’t officially recognized until 1976 (thank you, President Gerald Ford!)

Negro History Week was started as an attempt to recognize the history behind African Americans. Its founder was Carter G. Woodson, a historian who is now known as the “father of black history”.  Negro History week was recognized mostly by  local government, but was generally celebrated across the country. Mayors issued yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History week in order to start the tradition.

“By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil rights movement and a growing awareness of black identity, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses.” (History.com)

Now, Black History Month is celebrated in more than just colleges. It is currently taught and celebrated in elementary, middle, and high schools in the public school system.

“We have a very nice display in the halls,” says staff member Mark Keel about what CK is doing to celebrate Black History Month. “We have a diversity assembly… there was a poem read by [Maya] Angelou.”

However, not everyone is satisfied with these measures.

“We’re checking a box,” says senior Ashyia Wainright.  “Not many people like to acknowledge the past. And we learn in history about white past and black … suffering and the oppression we’ve had to go through. We don’t really learn about black power and those that stood up for it. Ask people and they’d name Martin Luther King JR, Rosa Parks, and if they were really good Malcolm X. We don’t really learn more than that, so it’s important, I think, to acknowledge the black power that stood up for us and got us where we are today because we really don’t get to learn about that in history class.”

Wainright says that lack of education is part of the reason young black students feel so out of touch with their culture these days.