Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and in 2009 its start is marked by the inauguration of the first African-American U.S. President, Barack Obama.

Shortly after he announced his candidacy in early 2007, Obama acknowledged his debt to history and the work of those who went before him. Speaking to a group of older civil rights leaders in Selma, Alabama he said “I’m here because somebody marched, I’m here because you all sacrificed for me. I stand on the shoulders of giants.”

Black History Month was founded by Carter G. Woodson, an African American, in the 1920’s. Recognizing the work of those of African descent was seen by Woodson as critical in many ways, from an affirmation of their contributions to the development of role models for future generations.

Black History Month has broadened beyond the U.S. to include countries like Canada and Britain. Recognizing and profiling the accomplishments that rarely, if ever, appear in the standard textbooks are the tasks that make up each year’s celebrations. In Canada, it has been little known that the first Canadian sailor to receive the Victoria Cross for valor was William Edward Hall, an African-Canadian from Nova Scotia. Or that Portia White, originally from Truro, Nova Scotia, was regarded as one of the finest opera singers of her generation and succeeded in breaking the colour barrier in Canadian classical music in the 1940’s. More about the African heritage in classical music can be found at AfriClassical.com.

In the area of scholarship, most Canadians are familiar with the great universities of Europe which date back hundreds of years. Much lesser known was that an African university of 25,000 students existed in the 12th century in what is now the Republic of Mali. The university was a centre of learning for the entire African continent and taught in fields ranging from mathematics and physics to the Islamic business code and ethics.

In 2009, Black History Month begins in a way that many would have thought impossible, but as Barack Obama told the civil rights leaders in Selma, there is more work yet to be done.