To the Editor:
George Carter Woodson, the son of former slaves, would become the second Black American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Having experienced first-hand the glaring neglect and lack of knowledge about Black history, he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. We remember him today as the “father of Black History” because he promoted Negro History Week in February 1926. It would be expanded to Black History Month in 1976. Why February? Because it is the month of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, two men whose names are closely associated with the liberation of Black Americans.
There are four colors that have become part of the celebration of Black History Month. These colors symbolize unity and pride. You see them on flags, posters, banners and more. The colors are black (resilience), red (the blood that unites people of African ancestry), yellow (optimism and justice) and green (the rich natural wealth of Africa).
Each year the Association for the Study of African American Life and History announces a national theme for Black History Month. This year’s theme is African Americans and the Arts. African American art is drawn from Africa, the Caribbean, and African American experiences. It encompasses painting, sculpture, crafts, architecture, theater, photography, filmmaking, and music. From the New Negro and Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s to the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, black cultural movements have educated and invigorated America toward positive changes.
Here is a quote by Shirin Neshat that speaks to this year’s Black History Month theme: “I think works of art – any form of culture – have the capability to give people a certain hope and passion and belief and conviction that nothing else can. I think there is something about creativity and imagination that is ultimately very primal, and it can be incredibly moving and provoke people in all the right directions.”
THEODORE BRYAN
Court House
