The story of Black History Month begins in
Chicago during the
late summer of 1915.
An alumnus of the
University of Chicago with
many friends in the city, Carter G.
Woodson traveled
from
Washington, D.
C.
to participate in a national
celebration of the...
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The story of Black History Month begins in
Chicago during the
late summer of 1915.
An alumnus of the
University of Chicago with
many friends in the city, Carter G.
Woodson traveled
from
Washington, D.
C.
to participate in a national
celebration of the fiftieth
anniversary of emancipation sponsored by the state
of Illinois.
Thousands of African Americans traveled from
across the country to
see exhibits highlighting the progress their people
had made since the
destruction of slavery.
Awarded a doctorate in
Harvard three years
earlier, Woodson joined the other exhibitors with a
black history display.
Despite being held at the Coliseum, the site of the
1912 Republican
convention, an overflow crowd of six to twelve
thousand waited
outside for their turn to view the exhibits.
Inspired
by the three-week
celebration, Woodson decided to form an
organization to promote the
scientific study of black life and history before
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