| The Man Behind Black History Month The origins of Black History Month can be traced back nearly a hundred years to an unassuming, three-story brick rowhouse in Washington. In 1922, Carter G. Woodson, known as “the father of Black history,” bought the home at 1538 Ninth Street NW for $8,000. The home served as the headquarters for the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. It was where he ran the Associated Publishers, the publishing house focused on African American culture and history at a time when many other publishers wouldn't accept works on the topic. It's where The Journal of Negro History and The Negro History Bulletin were based, and it's where he initiated the first Negro History Week-the precursor to Black History Month-in 1926. “If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated,” Dr. Woodson famously wrote. The site, owned by the National Park Service, is being restored and will likely be open to visitors starting this fall, a spokesperson for the Park Service said. Check out these titles |
