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| Carter Woodson biographical cartoon by Charles Alston, 1943 |
Early life
Woodson, the founder of the Association for the Study of African
American Life and History was the son of former slaves, James
(who helped the Union soldiers, and when he heard they were building
a high school for blacks in Huntington moved his family to West
Virginia) and Eliza (Riddle) Woodson, was born December 19, 1875,
at New Canton in Buckingham County, Virginia. One of a large poor
family, he could not attend regularly such schools as were provided,
but he was able, largely by self-instruction, to master the fundamentals
of common school subjects by the time he was seventeen.
Ambitious for more education Woodson went to Fayette County to
earn a living as a miner in the coal fields but was only able
to devote a few months each year to his schooling. In 1895 at
the age of twenty, Carter entered Douglass High School where he
received his diploma in less than two years. From 1897 to 1900,
Carter G. Woodson began teaching in Fayette County. In 1900, he
became the principal of Douglass High School. Woodson finally
received his Bachelor of Literature degree from Berea College
in Kentucky. From 1903 to 1907 he was a school supervisor in the
Philippines. He then attended the University of Chicago where
he received his M.A. from in 1908, and in 1912 he received his
Ph.D. in history from Harvard University.
A destiny revealed
Convinced by this time that among scholars the role of his own
people in American history and in the history of other cultures
was being either ignored or misrepresented, Woodson realized the
need for special research into the neglected past of the Negro.
The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, founded
in Chicago September 9, 1915, is the result of this conviction.
In the same year appeared one of his most scholarly books, The
Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 (1915), A Century of Negro
Migration (1918) and The History of the Negro Church (1927), and
The Negro in Our History that underwent numerous editions and
was revised by Charles Harris Wesley after Woodson's death in
1950. The following year, in January 1916, Woodson began the publication
of the scholarly Journal of Negro History, which, despite depressions,
the loss of support from Foundations and two World Wars, has never
missed an issue. As of 2002, it was renamed the Journal of African
American History, and is now published by Columbia University,
but it continues to print works of black and white scholars who
research and write about people of color. Other works by Woodson
include The Mind of the Negro as Reflected in Letters Written
During the Crisis, 1800-1860 and The Mis-Education of the Negro.
The NAACP
Apparently, during this time Woodson became affiliated with
the recently organized Washington, D.C. branch of the NAACP, and
its Chairman, Archibald Grimke. On January 28, 1915, he wrote
a letter to Grimke expressing his dissatisfaction with the way
things were going. Woodson made two proposals in this letter;
first, that the branch secure an office for a center to which
persons may report whatever concerns the Negro race may have,
and from which the Association may extend its operations into
every part of the city. The second, that of which a canvasser
would be appointed to enlist members and obtain subscriptions
for the Crisis, the NAACP publication edited by W.E.B. Dubois,
Dr. Woodson then added the daring proposal of "diverting
patronage from business establishments which do not treat races
alike." He wrote that he would cooperate as one of the twenty-five
effective canvassers, adding that he would pay the rent for the
office for one month. The NAACP did not welcome Dr. Woodson’s
ideas.
In a letter dated March 18, 1915, in response to a letter from
Grimke’ regarding his proposals, Woodson wrote, " I am not
afraid of being sued by white businessmen. In fact, I should welcome
such a law suit. It would do the cause much good. Let us banish
fear. We have been in this mental state for three centuries. I
am a radical. I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help
me." Apparently, this difference of opinion with Grimke contributed
to Woodson's short-lived affiliation with the NAACP.
The ASALH
On September 9, 1915 in Chicago, Dr. Woodson met with Alexander
L. Jackson, Executive Secretary of the new Negro YMCA branch.
In addition to Woodson and Jackson, three other gentlemen were
present; George C. Hall, W.B. Hargrove, and J.E. Stamps. At this
meeting they formed the Association for the Study of Negro Life
and History, and appointed Dr. Woodson, Executive Director, which
he held until his death.
The early years of the Association were difficult times, but
it did not deter Woodson because on January 1, 1916, he alone
began to publish the Journal of Negro History, a quarterly publication.
He distributed the first edition on his own initiative. The publishing
of the Journal coincided with the year of the arrival of Marcus
Garvey. In 1926, Woodson single-handedly pioneered the celebration
of Black History Week, the second week in February, which has
been extended to include the entire month of February. Because
of Woodson’s belief in self-reliance and racial respect, it is
only natural that the paths of Dr. Woodson and the Hon. Marcus
Garvey would cross; their views were very similar. Woodson became
a regular columnist for Garvey’s weekly Negro World.
Colleagues
Dr, Woodson’s political activism placed him at the center of
activity and was in contact with many black intellectuals and
activists between the 1920s and 1940s. He corresponded with individuals
such as W.E.B. Dubois, John E. Bruce, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg,
Hubert H. Harrison, and T. Thomas Fortune among others. Even with
the monumental duties connected with the Association, Woodson
still found time to write extensive and scholarly works such as
The History of the Negro Church (1922), Mis-Education of the Negro
(1933), and many other books which continue to have wide readership
today.
He was never one to shy away from a controversial subject, and
utilized the pages of the Negro World to add his contribution
to the various debates in vogue at the time. One of these debates
were over West Indian- Afro-American relations. Woodson summarized
that "The West Indian Negro is free." He felt that it
requires time and realistic education to emancipate people. These
opinions were the result of observing and approving the efforts
on the part of the West Indians to inject Black materials into
their school curricula. Woodson remarked that, "the highly
educated Negroes thought that Woodson was wrong to invite attention
especially to the race." They told Woodson that they were
not Negroes or Africans, they were Americans. Woodson’s efforts
to get Black culture and history into the curriculums of institutions
were unsuccessful. This seems to be the reason why he left Howard
University as its president.
Woodson's legacy
Woodson remained focused on his work throughout his life, never
being deterred by the efforts of others. Many see him as a man
of vision and understanding. Although Dr. Woodson was among the
ranks of the educated few, he did not feel particularly sentimental
to elite educational institutions. The Association which he started
in 1915 remains today, with the Journal of African American History
still published as a quarterly journal.
Dr. Woodson's other far-reaching activities includes the organization
in 1920 of the Associated Publishers, the oldest African-American
publishing company in the United States, which made possible the
publication of books concerning blacks which were not at that
time acceptable to many publishers; the establishment of Negro
History Week in 1926; and the initial publication of the Negro
History Bulletin, a publication of the Association which has maintained
continuous publication since 1937, and was originally created
for teachers in elementary and high school grades. Woodson also
influenced the direction and subsidizing of research in African-American
History by the Association, and wrote numerous articles, monographs
and books on blacks. The Negro in Our History, now in its eleventh
edition, has sold more than 90,000 copies. Dr. Woodson's most
cherished ambition, a six volume Encyclopedia Africana, was not
completed at the time of his death April 3, 1950. He is buried
at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland Maryland, just across
the southeast boundary of Washington, D.C..
In 1992, the Library of Congress held an exhibition entitled
"Moving Back Barriers: The Legacy of Carter G. Woodson".
Woodson donated 5,000 items from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries
to the Library. Dorothy Porter Wesley stated that "Woodson
would wrap up his publications, take them to the post office and
have dinner at the YMCA. He would teasingly decline her dinner
invitations saying, "No, you are trying to marry me off.
I am married to my work".
Professor Carter Godwin Woodson (19 December 1875-April 3, 1950)
was an American historian, author, journalist and the founder
of Black History Month. He is considered the first to conduct
a scholarly effort to popularize the value of Black History. He
recognized and acted upon the importance of a people having an
awareness and knowledge of their contributions to humanity and
left behind an impressive legacy.
External links
Woodson's writings
Other information about Dr. Woodson
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