Carter G. Woodson

Black History Month originated in the United States as "Negro History Week," created in 1926.  The celebration was instituted by Carter G. Woodson, founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the study of Afro-American Life and History or ASALH).  Woodson made it his life's work to document black history in the United States and has come to be known as "the father of black history."  The commemoration was expanded to the entire month of February in the 1970s.

"Carter G. Woodson." In Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 1992. Biography in Context (accessed January 18, 2018). http://libraries.state.ma.us/login?gwurl=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1606000174/BIC1?u=mlin_b_bunkhcc&xid=7f8f08d7.

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History was founded in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson for the purpose of promoting and preserving Black History.  Black History Month as a celebration originated with the efforts of Woodson and the ASALH.  

The 2017-18 BHCC One Book is Edwidge Danticat's 2004 novel The Dew Breaker.  Danticat is a Haitian-American author whose experience moving to Brooklyn from Haiti with her family at the age of 12 has informed her novels and short stories.  The Dew Breaker is the story of a Brooklyn man, born in Haiti, hiding a dangerous secret which is slowly revealed through the eyes of those around him.    

The One Book program engages our college community in a dialogue about a common text that addresses a current issue. Students, faculty and staff share the experience of reading a text and examining its effects upon our community. Faculty who incorporate the text into their curriculum receive copies for their students. 

Michele Norris: "Poverty and Race in the United States"

The College welcomed NPR journalist and author of The Grace of Silence Michele Norris on February 8 as part of the Compelling Conversations speaker series.  

Available through InterLibrary Loan: