Carter G. Woodson – Historic
Historic – well-known or important in history
Carter Godwin Woodson was an African-American writer and historian. He is considered the “Father of Black History Month.”
He wrote the book The Mis-Education of the Negro, a thesis that African-Americans of his day were being culturally mistaught in American schools. He claimed this to be a type of conditioning that caused African-Americans to become dependent rather than independent in society.
Mr. Woodson was one of the first African-Americans to receive a doctorate from Harvard University, and dedicated his career to African-American study. He worked to establish Black History Month as a nationwide institution. In his work to get schools and organizations to participate in a program to encourage the study of African Americans’ contributions to our history, Black History Month became the final product (which was originally Negro History Week).
The month of February was chosen to honor the birth months of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln.
Carter G. Woodson reminds me that if history truly does repeat itself, then we certainly need to make sure we know our history. We learn from history. History shapes our lives. Shouldn’t we want to know more about the things that have impacted us so much?
When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. – Carter G. Woodson