National African American History Month
FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
February is officially recognized as National African American History Month, also known as Black History Month. This celebration of the contributions of African Americans to the American story and civilization began in February 1926 with Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s Negro History Week to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, Gerald Ford became the first U.S. President to recognize the entire month of February as Black History Month. President Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishment of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Every U.S. President, since Gerald Ford has issued a presidential proclamation officially recognizing this commemorative month.
The history of African Americans can not be detailed in one month. African American history spans a distance well beyond recorded history. It traces its roots to soil beyond the shores of the United States, and began thousands of years before slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow, Segregation and other systemic injustices. It is a history not set apart from world history but interwoven. It is not just a history of overcoming, it is a history of great accomplishments in ever academic field, artistic endeavor, and athletic pursuit. It is a history that details the human condition and the story of mankind, both in triumph and in failure.
Within that history are well known, as well as little known, African American attorneys who have impacted lives, changed communities, and helped shape the American legal system. Thurgood Marshall, Charles Ogletree, Benjamin Hooks, A.A. Latting, Sr., and Ben F. Jones are just a few such legal giants in American history worthy of recognition and honor. Let us take the time to recognize these and other great African Americans in the law during National African American History Month.
