Celebrating African Descents; Black History Month 2020

February is the second celebration of the year just after Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it’s the time we celebrate Black History Month.

It all started back in the United States in the 1970s, as a way to remember the great achievements of people and the events that took place in the history of the African diaspora. Other countries around the world started celebrating the great work of the African descents through the Black History Month, which is also held in February in Canada, while it is celebrated in October in some other countries around the world.

There is a history held behind celebrating this month and there are public figures who stamped this world with their actions and innovations who are black.

When did it All Start?

The origins of Black History Month goes back to 1915 when the historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which was dedicated to researching and promoting the achievements of the Black Americans and other people of African descent, through what he named as the “Negro History Week”.

Later in 1969, Black History Month was proposed by black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University; the first celebration took its place one year later in February 1970 in the university itself. Six years later, Black History Month was celebrated all across the United States in educational institutions, centers of Black culture and community centers. At this year, President Gerald Ford recognized this celebration officially when he asked the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout the history”.

In Canada, Black History Month was first recognized in 1995 to honor the Black Canadians after a motion that was done by the politician Jean Augustine. Later, Black History Month was celebrated in different countries around the world, such as Ireland, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Black Leaders’ Facts to Celebrate Black History Month With

Dedicating a month for celebrating the achievements as well as the sorrowful times that black people passed by comes from the real struggle these people faced in order to receive their rights back in history. Here are some interesting facts which you might not know about regarding black people:

● Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate, who at that time represented the state of Mississippi.

● Hattie McDaniel was the first African American performer to win an Academy Award in 1940 for her role in ‘Gone with the Wind’.

● Robert Johnson was the first African American to become a billionaire after he sold the cable station he founded; Black Entertainment Television in 2001.

● Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and he served on the court from 1967 to 1991.

● Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives, she was elected from 1968 to represent the state of New York. Chisholm was also the first major party African American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States.

● Barack Obama was the first black American to be elected as the president of the United States.

Famous Black Figures to Learn More About

In addition to these names which are always marking the history of movements for the black people in America and the rest of the world, there are those who were the reason behind life-changing movements. Those African Americans who were the first to take roles in the United States are not the only ones we have to mention their success, but there other ones who we should shed the lights on as well.

● Martin Luther King Jr. was a scholar and minister who led the civil rights movements. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created to celebrate his early life achievements.

● Rosa Parks was also a civil rights activist who was known for her famous story when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. This action led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott which ended up being successful and led to nationwide efforts to end racial segregation of public facilities.

● Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist, poet, and award winning author who as an African American, faced racial prejudices and discrimination in Arkansas. Maya Angelou was famously known for her non-fiction bestseller ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” which was the first non-fiction bestseller by an African American woman.

George Washington Carver was a scientist and inventor who was born in slavery but managed to change his fate. Carver is famously known for his inventions which include a number of uses for peanuts.

Did You Know?

Racial discrimination was one of the main struggles that African Americans has to deal with and this led to the movements held by black people to bring back their rights. There are several interesting facts that are related to the black history which would astonish those who don’t know. Let’s celebrate February for black people and get the world informed with their history.

- Did you know that Allensworth was the first all-black Californian Township that was founded and financed by African Americans in 1908 to establish a self-sufficient city where African Americans could live their lives free of racial prejudice?

- Jazz music, which is considered by a lot of people the classical music of America, originated in the African American communities of New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

- Did you know that Benjamin Banneker, who was a famous African American scientist and mathematician, is credited with helping to design the blueprints for Washington, D.C., and was also calling for the civil rights and bringing better conditions for the African Americans?

- Did you know that February was chosen as the month to celebrate Black History Month to coincide with Frederick Douglass’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays?

- Did you know that in 1940s the efforts increased within the black community that schools started to educate the black history in them?

There is a lot of interesting information to know about the black history, the African American people and their innovations, and come to the point of standing up for their rights and celebrating their achievements and innovations. There is a whole month to celebrate black history and we are offering them a 7-Days free trial for our RoboGarden coding platform. Sign up and start playing; get prepared for the tech future demands.