Change We Can Believe In: Black History Month

This was a pleasant surprise stumbling into my inbox.  Not to suggest this wasn’t done in past Administrations, but it was particularly pleasing to see what looks to be a brand new government web site dedicated to Black History Month.

The theme for Black History Month 2009 is the Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas.  The authors of the website explain:

A century ago, an interracial group of Americans joined together and formed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Two generations after emancipation, a tide of racism had betrayed the promise of first-class citizenship. In the South, Blacks were denied the right to vote and forced to endure racial segregation. In the North, African Americans confronted myriad forms of discrimination that thwarted their aspirations.

The story of the NAACP is the story of struggle to create and maintain equal citizenship for all Americans. Through exposing the horrors of lynching, keeping the issue of equality before the courts, and organizing branches throughout the country, the NAACP drew a national following and inspired others to form organizations for racial change. The NAACP’s work gave hope not only to blacks in the North, but to men and women in the South like Rosa Parks and Medgar Evers.

The centennial of the NAACP is an occasion to highlight the problem of race and citizenship in American history, from the experiences of free Blacks in a land of slavery to the political aspirations of African Americans today. The centennial also provides an opportunity to explore the history of other nations in the Americas, where former slaves also sought the fruits of citizenship.

 The website is a collaborative effort of the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  They join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.

The website provides useful resources, information on exhibits, and event programming.

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