Black History Month: An important observance

Black History Month: An important observance

The history of the African diaspora in a number of countries is celebrated during Black History Month.

In the US and Canada, it has been observed during February since 1976. In the UK, it is observed during October.  It is also known as African-American History Month.

Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week so that African American history would be considered more significant within American history. According to historian John Hope Franklin,  Woodson expressed hope that Negro History Week would outlive its usefulness.

The observance is meant to promote awareness of African American history.  It is widely observed through local activities, at museums, at libraries and with television documentaries.

During February, thousands of students at all levels of education, from elementary school through university, learn about this essential part of American history and most American history textbook include black history.

Do you have African American ancestors? Want to learn more? There are some 70 geneablogs focusing on African American genealogy at Geneabloggers.com. Here are just three specialized sites from that list for information, resources and help:

Are you an African American and a MyHeritage user? We’d like to interview you for our blog. Email us at marketing@myheritage.com

We also invite all our readers to observe Black History Month by sharing a relevant story or photo in the comments below, on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Source: wikipedia