CauseEffectWorksheet-1

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
addressing the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington in 1965. Getty
Images
Every February, schools, businesses, and governments across the

country pay homage to black Americans like Harriet Tubman and Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. to mark Black History Month. While some of
the biggest names in African-American history are touted during this
month, the reason we even celebrate it today goes back to the idea
of trumpeting those whose achievements had gone unsung.
And back then, Black History Month was just a week.

Carter G. Woodson sowed the seeds of Black History Month. Wikimedia
Commons
Historian Carter G. Woodson and Minister Jesse Moorland founded

what is now the Association for the Study of African-American Life
and History in 1915 after attending an event in Chicago honoring
African-American progress in the 50 years since the end of slavery.
In what's now called The Journal of African American History, they

published articles about African-American makers and shakers
whose achievements had, for too long, gone unnoticed.
Eventually, Woodson tried to promote these findings more publicly.

He reached out to other members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity,
who created Negro Achievement Week in 1924.
But seeking greater impact, he pushed for the Association for the
Study of African-American Life and History to sponsor a national
Negro History Week in February 1926.
He chose the second week of the month because it coincided with
the birthdays of two of the key figures for emancipation: abolitionist
Frederick Douglass (February 14) and President Abraham Lincoln
(February 12).
Eventually Woodson’s idea gained traction, and schools, historical

clubs, lectures, and city governments would incorporate the week
into their activities.
In 1976 — two and half decades after Woodson died — when there
was a reinvigorated focus on African-American history through black
pride campaigns as the civil rights movement came to a close,
President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized the entire month of
February as Black History Month.
Eventually the idea to celebrate the contributions of people of

African descent expanded well beyond the US. In 1987, the UK
established its own Black History Month each October to honor the
contributions of African people to the country thanks to Ghanaian
activist Akyaaba Addai-Sebo’s work with the Greater London
Council.
In 1995, African-Canadian parliament member Jean Augustine

motioned for Black History Month in Canada to bring
awareness to the work of black Canadians. They also celebrate
Black History Month in February.
From Black History Month to #BlackFutureMonth
One hundred years after the founding of the Association for the
Study of African-American Life and History, black millennials are
reframing Woodson’s idea from highlighting black history to
highlighting black futures.
Leaders of the Black Lives Matter organization announced

a #BlackFutureMonth campaign.
View image on Twitter

Follow
Black Lives Matter @Blklivesmatter

#BlackFutureMonth is here. Afro-futurism artwork: @iamSeanGeer & article by
@WilliamsKiyan http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/hold-on-to-your-
dreams_b_9116622.html?utm_hp_ref=black-voices …
9:24 AM - 1 Feb 2016
7878 Retweets
8181 likes
While Black History Month is concerned with making sure black

people remain a part of our collective historical memory, Black
Future Month focuses on black people’s dreams, breaking open how
black people are envisioned in the futures we are creating.
The Black Lives Matter organization envisions Black Futures through reproductive justice.
The Black Lives Matter organization is dedicating each day of the

month to a specific theme. For example, Tuesday's focus was on
climate justice, while Wednesday's theme was reproductive justice.
Other national media publications and organizations are creating

similar Black Future Month programming.
The overall point: to reimagine the possibilities of how black people

around the world live their lives beyond the constraints of the
contemporary moment.
With Woodson, that meant remembering the past. For black

millennials, it means reimagining what possibilities lie ahead.
Name: __________________________________
Date: ___________________________________
Class: ___________________________________
Multiple choice:
1. When is Black History Month in the United States?

a) March
b) October
c) February
d) June
2. In what year was what is now the Association for the Study of African-American Life and
History founded?
a) 1865
b) 1915
c) 2010
d) 1968
3. Who was were the founders of the Association of the Study of African- American Life and
History?
a) Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King
b) Rosa Parks and Oprah Winfrey
c) Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass
d) Carter G. Woodson and Minister Jesse Moorland
4. Why was Negro History Week in February?

a) To recognize the accomplishment of African American since slavery
b) Because two prominent people in the emanicipation of slavery, Frederick Douglass and
Abraham Lincoln, birthdays were in February
c) Because it is the shortest month
d) It was just random
e)
5. What president made Negro History Week become Black History Month in 1976?
a) Barack Obama
b) Gerald Ford
c) John F. Kennedy
d) Ronald Regan
Short Answer Section:
6. What does Black History Month mean to you? Why was it created?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. What is the #BlackFuturesMonth about?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
8. How do you see the future for people of color in the next 20 year?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
9. How do you see your future in the next 20 years?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. What surprised you most about the history of black History Month?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Every February, schools, businesses, and governments across the

And back then, Black History Month was just a week.

Historian Carter G. Woodson and Minister Jesse Moorland founded

In what's now called The Journal of African American History, they

Eventually, Woodson tried to promote these findings more publicly.

Eventually Woodson’s idea gained traction, and schools, historical

Eventually the idea to celebrate the contributions of people of

In 1995, African-Canadian parliament member Jean Augustine

From Black History Month to #BlackFutureMonth

Leaders of the Black Lives Matter organization announced

View image on Twitter

Black Lives Matter @Blklivesmatter

While Black History Month is concerned with making sure black

The Black Lives Matter organization is dedicating each day of the

Other national media publications and organizations are creating

The overall point: to reimagine the possibilities of how black people

With Woodson, that meant remembering the past. For black

1. When is Black History Month in the United States?

4. Why was Negro History Week in February?

7. What is the #BlackFuturesMonth about?

9. How do you see your future in the next 20 years?

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