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Black History Month Celebration – Carter G. Woodson Founder

Posted on by Ceola Barnes
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Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African American and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in the U.S. history.  The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. History.  The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson , and other prominent African Americans.  Since 1976 (President Gerald Ford, initiator ), every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.  Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom also celebrates Black History.  The Association for the Study of African American Life and History chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederic Douglass.

 

First Lady Michelle Obama Reflects on the Responsibility of the African American Community to Educate Others

Posted on by Ceola Barnes
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Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered a passionate speech to 600 graduates and several thousand supporters at the historically black, Bowie State University (BSU) commencement ceremony, in Maryland.

After being awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from BSU, Mrs. Obama spoke to the graduates about their perseverance. She called upon a communal responsibility to serve and support others, making it very clear that our lives depend on the fight to educate ourselves and our youth for future generations to come.

“More than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, more than 50 years after the end of ‘separate but equal,’ when it comes to getting an education, too many of our young people just can’t be bothered. Today, instead of walking miles every day to school, they’re sitting on couches for hours playing video games, watching TV. Instead of dreaming of being a teacher or a lawyer or a business leader, they’re fantasizing about being a baller or a rapper. Recognizing that there is still so much work to do the First Lady acknowledged that today, one in three African American students drop out of high school, and only one and five African Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 have received a college degree. The President has worked alongside Education Secretary Arne Duncan to help reverse this trend. Since the year 2000, the number of students attending “dropout” factories has been reduced by a million and the number of African American students enrolling in college has grown nearly 10%.

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