Carter G. Woodson

Description

Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) was an African-American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Born in New Canton, Virginia, he was the son of former slaves and worked his way through college, earning a B.A. from Berea College in Kentucky in 1903 and a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912.

Woodson is credited with popularizing the term “Negro history” to refer to the study of African-American history and culture. He wrote more than a dozen books on the subject and was a pioneering advocate for the inclusion of African-American history in school curriculums. He also established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, which is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.

Woodson also worked as a journalist and editor, founding the Associated Publishers in 1920, which published books related to African-American history and culture. Woodson was also a vocal critic of racism and segregation in the United States. He was awarded the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal in 1929 and the NAACP’s highest honor, the Spingarn Medal of Distinction, in 1940.

Woodson’s legacy lives on through his writings and through the work of the ASALH, which continues to promote the study of African-American history and culture. In 1976, the United States government declared February to be Black History Month in honor of Woodson’s contributions.