Image courtesy of Delaware County Council
In 1926, Black historian Carter G. Woodson set out to rectify the fact that the nation’s recorded history did not recognize the achievements of Black individuals. One hundred years later, the once-weeklong celebration that he created has morphed into Black History Month — and Delaware County residents soon will have an opportunity to gather and mark the occasion.
Billed as an “afternoon of music, art, history and conversation,” Delaware County's third annual Black History Month Celebration will take place on Feb. 26 from noon to 2 p.m. at Towne House in Media. Col. Arthur Jenkins (Ret.), director of the Delaware County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, will serve as the emcee, and Lt. Col. Eclemus Wright Jr. (Ret.) will serve as the keynote speaker at the event.
Although everyone is welcome at the event, attendees must RSVP because space is limited. Scanning the pictured QR image can link you to the RSVP directly.
The inaugural “Negro History Week” took place in 1926 during the second week of February, when Black Americans had traditionally held celebrations to honor the end of slavery in the U.S., according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The week also coincided with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln, who enacted the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and Frederick Douglass, the formerly enslaved abolitionist and orator.
Amid the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the week transformed into Black History Month in the late 1960s. In 1976, during the nation’s bicentennial, President Gerald R. Ford became the first head of state to officially recognize Black History Month. Per the SPLC, Ford encouraged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, approximately 22% of Delaware County’s 576,195 residents are Black.
