Robin Carnahan: “Every February our nation pauses to recognize the tremendous contributions of African-Americans to the history of our…”

“Every February our nation pauses to recognize the tremendous contributions of African-Americans to the history of our nation. In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week because he saw that most of the contributions African-Americans had made to American culture and industry were being ignored by historians. We have come a long way since 1926. More and more of our history books acknowledge the contributions of African-Americans. Our schools have made it part of their curriculum. Libraries and museums create exhibits. Television executives highlight the contributions of African-American actors and screenwriters and our celebration of Black history has been expanded to an entire month. But we still have a long way to go. We need Black History Month because people may not be aware of African-Americans who have added to the richness and greatness of our country. It is appropriate that as we stand in our nation's Capitol, which was built by the back-breaking labor of free and slave African-Americans, we talk about the contributions African-Americans have made to this country's history, and to its future.”