In recognition of Black History Month, the MSFAA DE&I Committee would like to take this opportunity to celebrate and honor Black History Month. Black History Month was created to focus attention on the contributions of African Americans to the United States. It honors all black people from all periods of U.S history, from the enslaved people first brought over from Africa in the early 17th century to African Americans today. Black history month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs, and adversities that are an ever-lasting part of our country’s story and history.
The story of Black History Month begins with Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history” who first set out in 1926 to designate a time to promote and educate people about Black history and black culture. Woodson envisioned a weeklong celebration to encourage the coordinated teachings of Black history in public schools. He designated the second week of February as Negro History Week and galvanized historians through the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH).
The idea eventually grew in acceptance, and by the late 1960s, Negro History Week had evolved into what is now known as Black History Month. Protest around racial injustices, inequality, and anti -imperialism that were occurring in many parts of the U.S. were pivotal to the change.
Fifty years after the first celebrations, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month during the country’s 1976 bicentennial. Ford called upon Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”.
Source: NPR https://wskg.org/npr-news/2022-02-01/heres-the-story-behind-black-history-month-and-why-its-celebrated-in-february
Here are a few notable “First Black Achievers” in Higher Education in the state of Michigan.
Michigan State University
- Ø 1948 David W. Dickson first black faculty member appointed
- Ø 1970 Clifton Wharton first black President
- Ø 1995 Merritt Norvell was appointed the first African American athletics director in the Big Ten
University of Michigan
- Ø 1870 Gabriel Hargo first black graduate of University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. He was only the second African American in the nation to earn a law degree; the first was George Lewis Ruffin, who graduated from Harvard Law in 1869.
- Ø 1885 Sophia Bethena Jones, MD first black woman to graduate from University of Michigan Medical School
- Ø 1953 Albert Wheeler first black tenured professor
