For some inexplicable reason, a widely circulated belief suggests a conspiracy by never-identified opponents led to Black History Month being held in February. The baseless accusations have shadowed Carter G. Woodson’s Black History Month for decades. According to many conspiracy theorists, anonymous powers that be placed Black History Month in February because it is the shortest month of the year, with 28 days.
For decades, historians have listened to persistent myths about why Black History Month occurs in February. I feel comfortable in saying that we are all tired of hearing the unfounded speculation that conspiracists believe explains the creation and placement of Black History Month long ago. Trust me when I say that many of my peers are frustrated beyond measure by these items that fail to explain anything substantive, yet never illuminate the minds of the nation. It is with the intention of silencing future conjecture behind why Black History Month occurs in February that I offer the following.
The reason Carter G. Woodson, the creator of Black History Week, chose to place the celebration of Black contributions to the nation in February was that Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14) were born in that month. Abraham Lincoln has always held enormous significance for Blacks because the historical records remember him as the great emancipator who ended American chattel slavery. The historical record has been particularly kind to Lincoln when it comes to his position on slavery. Never discussed are the moments when Abraham Lincoln expressed a muddled position, as reflected in the following comment.
“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists.”
The other figure that led Carter G. Woodson to place Black History Month in February is Frederick Douglass, the greatest Abolitionist America had ever known. Most historians agree that Douglass’ anti-slavery work ranks among the most influential in American history, alongside those of Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, John Brown, Gabriel Prosser, Nannie, Sojourner Truth, Denmark Vesey, and William Lloyd Garrison. Frederick Douglass’ esteemed career as an opponent to all forms of oppression inspired the oppressed by insisting that they realize the following facts.
If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will.
To the chagrin of conspiracy theorists, the historical record points to Carter G. Woodson’s decision to place Black History celebrations in February as a continuation of a decades-long tradition of Black America honoring Abe Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. On the centennial anniversary of Carter G. Woodson’s creation of Black History Week, it took 50 years for the celebration to expand into Black History Month. We would be wise to consider Carter G. Woodson’s words.
If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.
James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D., M.A., M.A.
At a moment when national conversations about history and identity are deeply contested, all Americans must join together to remember the path we have traveled, because it surely dictates how we view and address the many ongoing issues that threaten to curtail the greatest nation in the world. I am sure that Carter G. Woodson would point to Black History Month celebrations as moments that showcase the best of the country and why Americans remain inextricably linked.
James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D., M.A., M.A., is an Associate Professor of History/African American Studies at Prairie View A&M University.
Academic course instruction is not affected by the passage of SB 17. The law specifically states that its limitations may not be construed to apply scholarly research or a creative work by an institution of higher education’s students, faculty, or other research personnel or the dissemination of that research or work. This page reference is to the specific research interest of a professor, Dr. James Jones.