2015 Black History Program Schedule (link)
Black History Supplemental educational activities and resources:
- Family Fun Activities
- History Channel's Black History Month (video series)
- 28 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month (Scholastic.com)
- Lesson Plans, Treasure hunts and more (EducationWorld)
Black History Facts
- Black History Month began as "Negro History Week," which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
- On February 12, 2009, the NAACP marked its 100th anniversary. Spurred by growing racial violence in the early twentieth century, and particularly by race riots in Springfield Illinois in 1908, a group of African American leaders joined together to form a new permanent civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). February 12, 1909 was chosen because it was the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
- Jack Johnson became the first African-American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title in 1908. He held on to the belt until 1915.
- John Mercer Langston was the first black man to become a lawyer in Ohio when he passed the Bar in 1854. When he was elected to the post of Town Clerk for Brownhelm, Ohio in 1855 Langston became one of the first African Americans ever elected to public office in America. John Mercer Langston was also the great-uncle of Langston Hughes, famed poet of the Harlem Renaissance.
- Thurgood Marshall was the first African American ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and served on the Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991.
- George Washington Carver developed 300 derivative products from peanuts among them cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils and cosmetics.
- Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American ever elected to the United States Senate. He represented the state of Mississippi from February 1870 to March 1871.
- Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives. She was elected in 1968 and represented the state of New York. She broke ground again four years later in 1972 when she was the first major party African-American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States.
- The black population of the United States in 1870 was 4.8 million; in 2007, the number of black residents of the United States, including those of more than one race, was 40.7 million.
- In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American performer to win an Academy Award (the film industry`s highest honor) for her portrayal of a loyal slave governess in Gone With the Wind.
- In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to go into space aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. During her 8-day mission she worked with U.S. and Japanese researchers, and was a co-investigator on a bone cell experiment.
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February is Black History Month, and coming up this week in Ypsilanti is a virtual community conversation being called “America Without Racism...Making…
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As part of our Black History Month coverage, we're featuring the legacy of Dr. Ida Gray, who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1890. She was…
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An Ypsilanti Township event intended to help African American men feel comfortable with their emotions and communication has become more popular than…
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On our next segment of “Beyond Books” with the Ann Arbor District Library, WEMU’s Lisa Barry talks with Rich Retyi about a special February event they are…
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Making A Difference: Highlighting Local Nonprofit Executive Directors As Part Of Black History MonthAs Black History Month comes to a close, 89.1 WEMU’s Lisa Barry spoke to two Washtenaw County nonprofit executive directors honored for their…
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What do you think about hip-hop music? Do you know it has deep roots in African-American culture and many of its messages can be inspiring and uplifting?…
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This week, "Art and Soul" is about the visual arts. 89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry is joined by local and state arts leader Omari Rush. Since the conversation…
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Black History Month comes to an end today. As such, we bring you a story about an early 20th century interracial club at the University of Michigan. 89.1…
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Five year-old Ziare Gunn, a student at the Ford Early Learning Center in Ypsilanti, is gaining a lot of recognition for memorizing and reciting a special…
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As part of our Black History Month coverage, we’re taking a closer look at a project in Ypsilanti, that once completed, will highlight African-American…