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January 29,2021
AN AEROTECH NEWS AND REVIEW PUBLICATION • WWW.AEROTECHNEWS.COM
Black History month

observed across nation

February is Black History Month, and the had celebrated together since the late 19th
theme of the 2021 observance is “ The Black century. Negro History Week was the center
Family: Representation, Identity, and Diver- of the equation. The thought-process behind
sity.” the week was never recorded, but scholars
The theme of the observance is set each acknowledge two reasons for its birth: recog-
year by the Association for the Study of Af- nition and importance. Woodson felt deeply
rican American Life and History. that at least one week would allow for the
Black History Month is an annual obser- general movement to become something an-
vance that originated in the United States, nually celebrated. Also, after the 10-year-long
where it is sometimes known as African- haul to successfully complete his “Journal of
American History Month. And while the Negro History”, he realized the subject de-
observance has received official recognition served to resonate with a greater audience.
from the U.S. and Canadian governments, From the event’s initial phase, primary
Black History Month is also observed in Ire- emphasis was placed on encouraging the co-
land, the Netherlands and the United King- ordinated teaching of the history of American
dom. blacks in the nation’s public schools. The first
In the United Kingdom, Black History Negro History Week was met with a luke-
Month is celebrated in October. The first cel- warm response, gaining the cooperation of
ebration was in 1987 which marked the 150th the Departments of Education of the states of
anniversary of the Caribbean emancipation. North Carolina, Delaware and West Virginia
In Ireland, the first celebration took place in as well as the city school administrations of
October 2010 in the city of Cork. In the 19th Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Despite this
century, Cork was a leading center of the aboli- far from universal observance, the event was
tionist movement. Leading anti-slave societies regarded by Woodson as “one of the most
welcome a number of Black abolitionists to fortunate steps ever taken by the Associa-
speak there, including Charles Lenox Remond tion,” and plans for a repeat of the event on
and Frederick Douglass. The Netherlands has an annual basis continued apace.
celebrated Black History Month, also in Octo- At the time of Negro History Week’s
ber, since 2015. launch, Woodson contended that the teach-
The precursor to Black History Month was ing of Black history was essential to ensure
created in 1926 in the United States, when the physical and intellectual survival of the
historian Carter G. Woodson and the Associa-
tion for the Study of Negro Life and History race within broader society:
“If a race has no history, it has no worth-
(now known as the Association for the Study
of African American Life and History) an- while tradition, it becomes a negligible fac-
nounced the second week of February to be tor in the thought of the world, and it stands
“Negro History Week.” in danger of being exterminated,” Woodson
This week was chosen because it coincid- said. “The American Indian left no continu-
ed with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on ous record. He did not appreciate the value of
Feb. 12 and of Frederick Douglass on Feb. tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew
14, both of which dates Black communities See HISTORY, Page 2

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