Black History Month means a lot of different things to different people. For me, it is a success story of triumph amid persecution and a reminder of the unfinished legacy of the Civil Rights era. Conceived as Negro History Week in 1926 by Dr. Carter Woodson, the celebration of important African-American historical contributions grew to include the entire month of February in 1976. The original weeklong celebration encompassed the birthdays of President Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, the influential abolitionist and former slave whose memoires helped turn public opinion in the North against the atrocity of slavery. Noticing the intentional historical omission of important achievements of black Americans, Carter envisioned the week as a way to build self-esteem among blacks and eliminate prejudices against whites. Sounds like a great idea, right? For most reasonable people, the … Read entire article »