Unit 4: Black Lives Matter (Tle G1)

Black History Month

The document under study is a short documentary about the creation and the evolution of Black History Month. We have learned that it is celebrated every February in the USA and in Canada. The founder of the concept was Carter G. Woodson, a black historian man. It started in 1926, it was initially set on the second week of February. It was called “Negro History Week”.

The aims of this celebration were firstly to increase the visibility of black life and history at a time when segregation was intense. On top of that, the media portrayed black people as inferior and were also mocking them with anti-black and racist imagery. Secondly, the goal was to build a form of equality among American citizens, and to show that black people played important roles in the creation of the country.

In 1976, it became a month through the lobbying of black activists to become a month and renamed “Black History Month”. At the time, President Gerald Ford made the first proclamation. Then, in 1986, Congress officially recognized Black History Month.

However, the celebration is still controversial because some people think it is useless, and it is opposed to American values. Some others complain that there should be a “White history month or even a “confederate history month”.

(We will continue the study if the video next time. Be ready!)

Homework: Learn the lesson.