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Happy Black History Month!
Langston Hughes
February 1st marks the beginning of Black History Month.
Initially taking place over the course of a week to coincide with the mid-February birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, Negro History Week was first observed in 1926, and was unofficially adopted as a month-long celebration in 1976, celebrating the United States' bicentennial.
Fifty years later, President Gerald Ford urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."
Some controversy surrounds the celebration. As actor Morgan Freeman succinctly remarked: "I don't want a black History Month. Black history is American history."
Seen on the photo is poet, writer, and social activist Langston Hughes, whose birthday is February 1st.
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."
Initially taking place over the course of a week to coincide with the mid-February birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, Negro History Week was first observed in 1926, and was unofficially adopted as a month-long celebration in 1976, celebrating the United States' bicentennial.
Fifty years later, President Gerald Ford urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."
Some controversy surrounds the celebration. As actor Morgan Freeman succinctly remarked: "I don't want a black History Month. Black history is American history."
Seen on the photo is poet, writer, and social activist Langston Hughes, whose birthday is February 1st.
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."
United States
the month of February
post by Chanez Baali
project: The Glass Files #onthisday via Instagram
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