| The ASALH Website is a project of the ASALH Publication Committee Daryl Michael Scott, Chair © 2008, ASALH Direct comments to phughes@asalh.net The Association for the Study of African American Life and History C.B. Powell Building, Suite C-142 525 Bryant Street, NW Washington, DC 20059 Phone: 202-865-0053 Fax: 202-265-7920 Page revised 03/05/2008 |
Founders of Black History Month
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| Click on the image above to order the DVD, Reflections on Carter G. Woodson |
From its inception, America has been a landscape
peopled by diverse ethnic and racial groups, and today
virtually all peoples are represented. If America has
always been racially and ethnically diverse, the nation's
self-image has not always recognized its multicultural
history. Until the last decades of the twentieth century,
America has seen itself largely as the flowering of
Anglo-Saxon culture and prided itself on allowing
immigrants to adopt the American way.
During the early years of the twentieth century, a small
number of intellectuals began to question whether America
was simply a transplant of English civilization. W. E. B.
Du Bois, Theodore Herzel, and Randolph Bourne believed
that modern America should embrace the cultural
differences that newcomers brought with them to America.
Democracy, they believed, required tolerance of
difference and could sustain those differences in harmony.
Among those intellectuals of the Progressive era, Carter
G. Woodson did most to forge an intellectual movement to
educate Americans about cultural diversity and
democracy. For the sake of African Americans and all
Americans, Woodson heralded the contributions of
African Americans and the black tradition. In 1915, he
established the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History and by the time of his death in 1950, he had
laid the foundation for a rethinking of American identity.
The multiculturalism of our times is built on the intellectual
and institutional labors of Woodson and the association he
established. He should be known not simply as the Father
of Black History, but as pioneer of multiculturalism as well.
In honor of its founder, the Association for the Study of
African American Life and History devotes the 2008
Annual Black History Theme to both the labors of
Woodson and the origins of multiculturalism.
peopled by diverse ethnic and racial groups, and today
virtually all peoples are represented. If America has
always been racially and ethnically diverse, the nation's
self-image has not always recognized its multicultural
history. Until the last decades of the twentieth century,
America has seen itself largely as the flowering of
Anglo-Saxon culture and prided itself on allowing
immigrants to adopt the American way.
During the early years of the twentieth century, a small
number of intellectuals began to question whether America
was simply a transplant of English civilization. W. E. B.
Du Bois, Theodore Herzel, and Randolph Bourne believed
that modern America should embrace the cultural
differences that newcomers brought with them to America.
Democracy, they believed, required tolerance of
difference and could sustain those differences in harmony.
Among those intellectuals of the Progressive era, Carter
G. Woodson did most to forge an intellectual movement to
educate Americans about cultural diversity and
democracy. For the sake of African Americans and all
Americans, Woodson heralded the contributions of
African Americans and the black tradition. In 1915, he
established the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History and by the time of his death in 1950, he had
laid the foundation for a rethinking of American identity.
The multiculturalism of our times is built on the intellectual
and institutional labors of Woodson and the association he
established. He should be known not simply as the Father
of Black History, but as pioneer of multiculturalism as well.
In honor of its founder, the Association for the Study of
African American Life and History devotes the 2008
Annual Black History Theme to both the labors of
Woodson and the origins of multiculturalism.
| Journal of African American History Visit the JAAH Website for complete information on subscriptions and submissions. |
| Get a free copy of Freedom's Song, an educational DVD from ASALH and Farmers Insurance, by clicking on the image above! |
| The USPS, in conjunction with ASALH, has unveiled the 2008 Black Heritage Stamp. Click here for info. |
| Click here to view photos from the 2008 Black History Month Press Conference. |
| Discover your roots... Win an African Ancestry DNA Kit Courtesy of your Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep Dealer |
| The contest has ended. Thank you for your interest. Winners will be announced shortly. |