Black History Month

Every year, the month of February is devoted Black History Month. Help your children to understand how the history of African Americans is a part of American history. If you are wondering how February became Black History Month and who created it, stop by the YS desk and we can help you find a book about Carter G. Woodson, an African American historian who created what would become Black History Month in 1920 (then it was known as Negro Week).  African American didn't have the right to vote at the time, and lynching and other inhumane treatments were not uncommon, so Dr. Woodson began Black History Month because the contributions of African American were not well-known enough or not known at all. He chose February for the celebration because it is the birth month of Frederick Douglass (well known black social reformer, writer, and orator) and President Abraham Lincoln.