Burgess Owens: “February is designated as Black History Month, and I want to take this opportunity to utilize this very practical…”

“February is designated as Black History Month, and I want to take this opportunity to utilize this very practical observance, or practical designation. The observances have very practical values. Some people have said they are useless and also they are insulting because our history goes on all the time. Why do we need to single it out for just one month? And if they are important, why only have one month? Well, the way Americans do things, part of our culture and part of our way of life is we do highlight things, days of observances, holidays, special ceremonies, all these things are part of the way we capture people's attention. I am grateful for the fact that the whole month of February is designated as Black History Month. There was a time when there was no such designation, and there was a gentleman named Carter G. Woodson who resided here in Washington D.C. who worked for years to get a Black History Week designation. The purpose for his Black History Week designation was a practical one. He wanted an opportunity to be able to highlight some of the achievements of African Americans over the years. So the fact now that television stations and corporations and various other people have pitched in and they pay homage to Black History Month is an achievement to be saluted. I congratulate the people who worked to have that done.”