February 1st normally marks the beginning of Black History Month in the United States and Canada alike. A few weeks to focus on an historical retrospective on the contributions that people of African descent have made to those countries.
Black History Month kicked off in the United States with a Black History Week established in 1926. Later on, in 1976 and for the bicentennial of the United States, US President Gerald Ford decided to extend the week to the entire month of February.
This important anniversary is also present in other Anglo-Saxon countries, but is celebrated in different months: in the UK and Ireland it occurs in October.
In the case of the United States, the anniversary is officially recognized by the government with a federal law and it is not only, as already mentioned, an entire month of celebrations dedicated to African-American culture, but it is also the official recognition of the role it played in the birth of the modern United States.
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, was the promoter and signatory of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 which proclaimed the slaves of the Confederate States free.
Carter G. Woodson, now known as the father of Black History, proclaimed Negro history week: a week to be celebrated throughout the country with the aim of encouraging Americans to study black history. The week fell in February, the month of birth of President Abraham Lincoln and of the abolitionist politician and activist Frederick Douglass and it was proposed to extend to the entire USA as a celebration for the black students.
During that week Woodson distributed newspapers and magazines containing speeches and photos of African-American people who were finally speaking to students in black people schools, even in rural areas, and spread to the young people he met his idea that if a race doesn't have a history it becomes “negligible” in the eyes of the world, and possibly subject to the risk of being exterminated.
It was the second half of the ‘20s and fifty years later, Negro history week was further expanded by students and educators at Kent State University to Black history month, later officially recognized by the US government in 1976.
Black History Month is a celebration that includes collective moments, public meetings, conferences, but also activities on social networks, insights into the main publications and constant information activity by cultural foundations, journalists, historians and ordinary people. This is the spirit of Black History Month, but it is also a personal moment in which to discover a new author of African American literature, promote a business, an association that works for civil rights, or even simply get information to recognize and learn a part of history that many study superficially. Black History Month involves everyone, including children.
Immersed in the greenery of the gardens surrounding the Capitol, an imposing monument honors the contributions of African Americans here in Austin, tracing their history from the 1500s to today in Texas.
Heroes featured include Texas revolutionary fighter Hendrick Arnold and civil rights leader Barbara Jordan.
The central core of the sculpture represents the events of June 19, 1865, when African Americans were freed from slavery.
The George Washington Carver Museum, a cultural and genealogical center in Austin, presents a rich calendar of events for Black History Month.
They offer many cultural tours and workshops to celebrate well-known and up-and-coming African-American dancers, musicians, artists and writers alike showcasing their works throughout the month.
