Black History Month
is not the only time to recognize the contributions of black
people to society. However, Black History Month provides an
important opportunity for sharing, building, learning and
celebratign the diversity within our communities. In the United
Kingdom (UK), black people are here with roots from around
the globe including Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, the Americas,
and the descendants of Africans who've lived in the UK and
Europe since the earliest days of British recorded history.
Black History Month began nearly 100 years ago in the United
States (US). On February 19, 1926 African American teacher
Carter G. Woodson established "Negro History Week"
to teach the world about the contributions of Africans. Born
in 1875, Woodson was the son of former slaves. Woodson was
unable to go to school until much later than many others because
he had to work at an early age to support his family. At school
he learned that there was very little written about the contributions
of African people in history books. He became a teacher and
decided to change this. And so, the seeds of Black History
Month were sown.
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Today Black History Month
is held in the UK every October. In North America, Black History
Month or African Liberation or African History Month is celebrated
every February.
Here are some links to a variety of information resources about
Black History. If there are others you think could be listed
here, please email suggestions to Griots.net
admin:
Black
History in Wales
Black
History Month UK
100
Great Black Britons
Channel
4 Black and Asian History Map Black
History Game
(American) Black
History Learning Resources (American) |