Black History Month Facts

Black history month commemorates the significant events and achievements of the African-American population of the United States. This tradition marked its beginning officially from 1976. It is celebrated in the month of February in the United States of America. It celebrates all the historic events from 1915, wherein the thirteenth amendment of the American constitution abolished slavery in the US. Here are few black history month facts, which have made a huge difference to mankind today.

Who Started Black History Month?
It was Dr Carter Woodson who started the 'Negro History Week' to focus peoples attention and bring to their notice the role and contribution of African Americans in the American history. Dr Woodson was an African American who completed his PhD from Harvard. He found the need to become the voice of African Americans who were wrongly represented and treated in early times. He founded the 'Association for the Study of Negro Life and History' in 1915, which is now known as Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. 

Why is February Black History Month?
Considering the timeline of African American history, it was around 1926, that Dr Woodson initiated the celebration of the black history month in February. He chose this month, as February is marked by the birthdays of two great personalities of American history who had a very big influence on changing the social standing and condition of African Americans. These two personalities were former president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Fredrick Douglass. Do you know when is black history month celebrated in other parts of the world? Well, apart from the United States, black history month is celebrated in Canada in the month of February and in the UK its celebrated in the month of October. 

Here is the list of a little known facts of Black History Month:

1.  Rapper Jay-Z allegedly developed his stage name as a reference to New York’s J/Z subway lines that have a stop in his Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, and neighborhood.

2. Martin Luther King, Jr. was stabbed by an African-American woman in 1958 while attending his book signing at Blumstein’s department store in Harlem. The next year, King and his wife visited India to study Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence.

3. As a child Muhammad Ali was refused an autograph by his idol, boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. When Ali became a prize-fighter, he vowed never to deny an autograph request, which he has honored to this day.

4.  Ella Fitzgerald had a three-octave range — a range greater than most professional Opera singers.

5. Famed guitarist Jimi Hendrix was known by close friends and family members simply as “Buster.”

6. Louis Armstrong bought his first coronet at the age of seven with money he borrowed from his employers. He taught himself to play while in a home for juvenile delinquents.

7. Due to his acclaimed “Banana Boat” song, most people assume Harry Belafonte was born in the Caribbean; in fact, the internationally renowned entertainment icon and human rights activist was born in Harlem, New York.

8. Before becoming a professional musician, Chuck Berry studied to be a hairdresser.

9. Legendary singer James Brown performed in front of a televised audience in Boston the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Brown is often given credit for preventing riots with the performance.

10. Female science fiction author Octavia Butler was dyslexic. Despite her disorder, she went on to win two Hugo awards and two Nebulas for her writing.

11. The “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson, co-wrote the single “We Are the World” with Motown legend Lionel Richie. The single became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief in Africa.

Some Black History Month Facts for Kids

You can site examples of famous African Americans who made a contribution to the world in a way that can be understood by kids. Here are a few people that kids can relate to.

• George Washington Carver (1860-1943) - He was the guy who gave the world, the kids favorite peanut butter. So it's all because of George Washington Carver, kids today enjoy their peanut butter sandwiches so much.
• Madame C.J. Walker (1867-1919) - Was the first African American to come with haircare invention and went on to become the first self made female millionaire of North America
• Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) - She earned the name Moses, as she helped hundreds of slaves escape to the northern U.S and Canada.
• Mary Ann Shad (1823-1893) - She was the first female black lawyer and also the first female newspaper editor of the U.S. She was also the first woman to open a school in Canada that was open to all the races.
• Robert Johnson (1911-1938) - He was the famous guitarist who inspired various other artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and B.B. King.
• Jesse Owens (1913-2005) - He was the first American to have won 4 gold medals in one Olympics. He was subjected to racism all through his college life but he still stood strong and made the record of the gold medals in Berlin Olympics of 1936.
• Rosa Parks (1913-2005) - She is one of the most famous women in American history. She was the woman who stood for her rights and refused to give up a seat on the bus to a white man which sparked off the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks went to jail for her refusal but ultimately came out a winner in the case against the state.
• Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) - He was the first black player to play in Major League Baseball. Even though he had to face the wrath of people, Jackie Robinson emerged winner when he was awarded rookie of the year in his second season
• Sidney Poitier (1924) - He was the first African American to win an Academy Award for the Best Actor in 1963.
• Martin Luther King Junior (1929-1968) - One of the most influential personalities who rigidly practiced the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Martin Luther King Jr led anti-violence demonstrations against racial discrimination, one of which was to Washington.

These are the few African Americans who made a difference by being the first in their field and paved a way for others to follow suit. Sometimes getting kids to learn these important things needs some planning of fun activities. Here are a few fun ways that will help children learn about black history month with some fun activities associated with it.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

Controversy

Black History Month sparks an annual debate about the continued usefulness of a month dedicated to the history of one race. Several journalists argue the advantages and disadvantages of emphasizing one month of the year to promote African American History.

When Carter G. Woodson started Negro History Week, his purpose was for the history of African Americans to become considered a more significant part of American history as a whole. According to historian John Hope Franklin, Woodson “continued to express hope that Negro History Week would outlive its usefulness”. The purpose of Black History Month is to promote awareness of African American history to the general public. It is arguable that despite the opinions of several critics, Black History Month has several advantages, and to an extent, Woodson’s hopes were realized. During Black History Month, African American history is taught to thousands of students at the elementary, high school and university levels respectively. African American history is an extremely important part of American history, and it is almost impossible to find an American History textbook that does not include passages about black history. It is seldom argued that America’s youth does not at least somewhat benefit from having an annual Black History Month, however, several critics argue that the adult population now perceives the month of February from a different angle.

One argument states the question: why is black history celebrated over the shortest month of the year?  It is argued that Black History Month has become a “ready made excuse to ignore African American history for the other 11 months of the year”, thus promoting racism. Journalists argue that by dedicating a single month of the year to black history, it provokes a tendency for people to assume that black history is separate from American history. It is no secret that although racism has come a long way in the past century, prejudice is still an imposing problem on American society. Joseph Wayne states that “One month out of every year, Americans are given permission to commemorate the achievements of black people. This rather condescending view fails to acknowledge that a people and a country’s past should be nurtured and revered; instead, at this time, the past of black Americans is handled in an expedient and cavalier fashion denigrating the very people it seeks to honour”.

Other critics claim that Black History Month has become a marketing or commercialization month, providing the opportunity to advertise and sell more goods. Society is missing the “essence of Carter G. Woodson’s dream” and in many cases companies are using the commemoration month to their advantage. Black history month has somewhat lost its significance among American society as the month of February is also American Heart Month, International Boost Self-Esteem Month, International Embroidery Month, Library Lovers Month, National Cherry Month, National Children’s Dental Health Month, National Snack Food Month, and Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month. It can also be argued that Black History Month has now been diversified into the idea of promoting multiculturalism within communities, rather than promoting awareness of the history of African Americans. Whether or not this statement is true or not, Carter G. Woodson believed that black history was a missing segment in the minds of most American Historians of his day. Although racism may never be fully eliminated, Black History Month has certainly played a key role in establish African American history as historically significant part of American History.

A potential and valid, though essentially unheard of, objection that could come from Canadians is that Black History Month, aka African-American History Month, promotes American history. Rosa Parks, MLK, Malcolm X etc were all Americans living in America dealing with American problems. It can be argued that Canadians celebrating African-American History Month makes as much sense as Canadians celebrating the American Revolution or American Civil War.

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