Danny Davis: “every February, Americans celebrate Black History Month. This tribute dates back to 1926 and is credited to a Harvard…”

“every February, Americans celebrate Black History Month. This tribute dates back to 1926 and is credited to a Harvard scholar named Carter G. Woodson. The son of former slaves, Woodson dedicated his life to ensuring that black history was accurately documented and disseminated. In an effort to bring national attention to the contributions of black Americans, Woodson organized the first annual Negro History Week in 1926. He chose the second week of February in honor of the birthdays of pivotal black supporters Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. From Jackie Robinson to Tiger Woods, Harriet Tubman to Barack Obama, Black History Month pays tribute to inspirational African Americans from the past, as well as those who will continue to make history well into the future. For 1 month, people of African descent in America are recognized for their contributions. The irony of recognizing and paying tribute to people of African descent in America is that we are recognizing all people of the Earth. Africa represents all people of the world. Every person born since creation, every person alive today, and every person born in the future was, is, and will be of African descent. The gift Africa has provided the world is humanity and civilization. Be that as it may, Black History has been presented and accepted as a fragmented afterthought. It is celebrated for 1 month and/or mentioned with a couple of lines in a text or Social Studies course outline.…”