Afrikans Helping Afrikans - Jaku Konbit's "Greatness is Within Me" summer camp takes place from July - August 2008!

“History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is also a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. The role of history is to tell a people what that have been, and where they have been, what they are and where they are. The most important role that history plays is that it has the function of telling a people where they still must go and what they still must be”.

-Dr. John Henrik Clarke

Black History Month

1807-2007, 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British Empire...

What is Black History Month?

Black History Month was founded and first celebrated in the United States. Black History Month was first referred to as “Negro History Week” when it was started in 1926. It was later changed to its current name. Black History Month was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Woodson was a son of African-American slaves and spent most of his childhood working in the coal mines of Kentucky. Although he started high school at the late age of 20, he completed his diploma in just two years. He later studied at and earned a PhD from Harvard University.

The scholar was compelled to act as he witnessed and experienced the historical silence with respect to Black history in American text books. When Blacks did appear in books they were often depicted in negative and stereotypical ways, always reflecting their inferior and disadvantaged social position at the time.

Woodson made it his mission and life’s work to write African-American’s experiences and lives in to the nation’s history. He started this mission with the establishment of the Association for the Study of Negro Life in 1915. This organization was the beginning of the movement to spotlight the invaluable contributions Blacks have made to American culture by the creation of Negro History Week.

Why the month of February?

Woodson chose February to host the commemoration of African-American history in the United States because he was greatly influenced by Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, both of whom were born that month.

Black History Month in Canada

The Canadian Negro Women’s Association brought Black History Month to Canada in the 1950s in Toronto. Later on the Black History Society effectively petitioned the City of Toronto to have the celebration recognized. Black History Month is now celebrated and proclaimed all across Canada.

In Canada, Black History Month is significant for African-Canadians in particular as it showcases our proud history and heritage in Canada. All Canadians benefit too for Black History Month because of the educational experiences it provides whereby, it fosters closeness between Canadians of diverse backgrounds, strengthening our mosaic.

We celebrate Black History Month 365 days year……