Black History Month

Black+History+Month

Delaney Huck, Staff Writer

Black History Month is a month of remembering black historical figures, to celebrate the life they lived and the changes they made in the world.

Carter G. Woodson, the man behind Black History Month, he believed people weren’t taught enough of their own heritage. In 1924 Black literature week was created, that gave Woodson the idea of Black History Week in February because it contains the birthdays of Lincoln and Douglass. In 1940 they decided a week just wasn’t long enough to remember all the history, in 1950 they decided it should be a month long. Woodson tragically died in his home in 1950 due to a heart attack.

Some historical figures that we should know about and what they did.

Martin Luther King Jr- A civil rights activist who fought for full equality for African Americans who held numerous peaceful protests, he ended up winning a Nobel Piece Prize for his incredible work helping African Americans get the equality they deserved. He was assassinated on April 4th 1968.

Harriet Tubman- Leading hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the Underground Railroad. She helped defeat slavery and bring it to an end. She suffered from narcolepsy her life because a man threw a two pound weight at her head. She completed 13 missions of rescuing and bringing slaves to freedom, and in those 13 missions she never lost one.

Medgar Evers Born July 2nd 1925- June 12th 1963: Secretary of the NAACP, he would boycott the segregation that went on in restrooms, schools, and beaches. He voiced his support through the Emmett Till case.

Every February it is important to remember these historical figures, and moments. Take some time to educate yourself and others about Black History.