Schools, museums, and communities across the U.S come together to celebrate Black History Month all February long. Starting February 1, we came together as a nation to commemorate black history, culture, and education and Bucks County Community College is no exception.
Student life is encouraging students to learn more about the importance of Black history on Feb. 19 from 12:15pm-1:25pm in the Ghallager Room. The hour-long event will provide free refreshments to any student who RSVPs via Bucks+, while showcasing a special tribute brought by Keith Spencer.
Keith Spencer is a nationally-recognized baritone vocalist who will be taking the campus on a journey of black history through his music, poetry, and letters by both enslaved and iconic black people throughout history, according to his website keithspencer.com
This month-long celebration dates back to over 100 years ago, when historian Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, after realizing the lack of public information on the accomplishments of black people up until that time. After starting the association back in 1915, Woodson believed he needed more recognition for his people so in 1926 he and the rest of the association declared the second week of February as “Negro History Week”.
Interestingly, the reason for choosing the second week in February was because that week includes the birthdays of two very important people in the black community at the time: Abolitionist Frederick Douglass and former U.S president Abraham Lincoln, both whom fought against the enslavement of black people. The nation, who was moving proactively at the time began to recognize “Negro History Week” after its creation, in various schools across the country.
Woodson is credited as the “Father of Black History”. He died in 1950 but his love for his community lived on after his death as his community members demanded all his hard work to not go unnoticed.
The first official Black History Month being proposed by students and educators at Kent State University in February 1969 and by 1976, President Gerald Ford extended the week-long event into the official Black History Month we know today stating, “honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” He believed in the importance of recognizing all contributions black people made in America throughout history.
Black people had contributed a wide range of inventions by the time Black History Month finally reached national coverage, some of these inventions dating back to the 1800s.
After witnessing a terrible crash during a busy intersection, black inventor Garrett Morgan created the protype and patented a three-position traffic signal in 1923 – an invention we still use to this day known as the traffic light.
While making a pot roast one-night in 1928, Marjorie S. Joyner a leading figure in the black beauty industry was inspired to use her pot roast rods as rollers thus creating the one-of-a-kind permanent hair wave machine we know today as a hair curler.
Black people are also attributed to the creation of multiple music genres including: blues, jazz. R&B, hip-hop, and rock and roll.
Black History Month is a true testimony of all the hard work black historians have done before us. It allows black people to see themselves reflected in history and should help motivate action to a more equitable society.