The History of Black History month

February is nationally known as Black History Month, dating back to 1976. When founder Carter G. Wilson created Negro History Week, his goal was to inform Americans of African-American history and cultural backgrounds, and Black History Month has since evolved into so much more. From celebrations like Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the history of African-Americans couldn’t possibly be limited to the month of February.

On Wednesday, February 1, the Black Student Union held their Black History Month Opening Ceremony in the cafeteria. An African Libation Ceremony, a singer singing two different songs, a spoken word artist, and the reading of “Phenomenal Woman” by student Lacreasha “LC” Mitchell were all part of the festivities. The BSU also gave away 100 African-American historical information bookmarks, 25 Celebrate Black History Month dog tags and chains, along with a BHM backpack, according to advisor Keith Barnes.

Events included during this month are also “the Chaveevah Banks Ferguson Art Exhibit and reception, with two different lectures; one being the evolution of the “N” word and [the other being] Blacks in Latin America,” said Barnes. There will also be “a Soul Food Luncheon, African & American Images art, clothing and jewelry sale, and a BSU field trip to Chicago to see the play ‘Invisible Man,’” he went on to say.

The purpose of the BSU “was created for all Kishwaukee College students who wish to provide advocacy and support for the academic, cultural, and social development of African-American students, host programs and events to provide awareness of issues, and celebrate the accomplishments of members in the African-American community,” said Barnes.

It is also important to recognize those in the past who have shaped the world we live in today. Public figures like Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X are just a few that spoke out against unjust laws for the rights they believed in; ultimately earning us a better place to live--deserving recognition at any time of the year. Below is a timeline highlighting just some of the important events happening throughout history that have changed our world and the way we live in it.

-1787: Slavery is abolished in the Northwest of the United States. However, the Constitution writes that Congress cannot outlaw slave trade until 1808.

-1849: Harriet Tubman leads slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

-1865: The Civil War ends and President Lincoln is assassinated. The Thirteenth amendment is put into effect, outlawing slavery.

-1870: The Fifteenth Amendment is authorized, giving blacks the right to vote.

-1920s: The Harlem Renaissance movement breeds a new sense of African-American culture.

-1947: Jackie Robinson is signed onto the Brooklyn Dodgers—the first black in Major League Baseball.

-1952: Malcolm X is made a minister of the Nation of Islam.

-1955: Emmett Till is cruelly killed for reportedly whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. Rosa Parks declines to give up her seat at the front of the “colored section” of a bus for a white passenger, thus sparking a Montgomery black community boycott of buses for a year; buses are desegregated in December 1956.

-1964: Martin Luther King, Jr. receives the Nobel Peace Prize.

-1966: The Black Panthers are formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale.

-1968: MLK Jr. is assassinated and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 is signed by President Johnson, outlawing “discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.”

-2008: Barack Obama is elected President of the United States.

As you can see just from those few events in history, our society has come a long way from its beginnings. Louis Armstrong once said, “If you gotta ask you’ll never know.” Of course, he was talking about what jazz is, but the same can be said for increasing awareness for Black History Month. Check out the various events and information the BSU has provided for this month at Kish and revisit and learn more about history.