John Sarbanes: “I am pleased to join in commemorating African-American History Month and in recognizing a crucial part of our diversity…”

“I am pleased to join in commemorating African-American History Month and in recognizing a crucial part of our diversity: the vast history and legacy that African Americans have contributed to the founding and building of our Nation. In 1915, Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which shortly after its creation, began a campaign to establish Negro History Week. In 1926, the second week of February was chosen to recognize the contributions of African Americans to American society. In 1976, this week of observance was expanded to a month and became African-American History Month. Each year, the Association, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, designates a theme for the Black History Month observance. This year's theme, ``Before Brown, Beyond Boundaries, Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'' marks one of the most seminal moments in the fight for equal rights in this country--the Supreme Court's May 15, 1954 ruling that ``[i]n the field of public education, the doctrine of `separate but equal' has no place.''”