Black History Month dates back to 1925, when the historian Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, and the organization announced Negro History Week.
The event was first celebrated during a week in February that contained the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, according to africanamericanhistorymonth.gov.
In 1976, the overwhelming celebration of the week evolved into a whole month of celebrating the contributions of African Americans in history.
Now, Black History Month is celebrated and acknowledged by almost everyone in the United States.
“[Black History Month] encompasses, I think, the true history of what has happened in the United States over the years as it relates to African Americans,” said Cressworth Lander, the president of the Dunbar Coalition in Tucson. “Some of the early things in our history have not been reported or have not been inclusive of what was the contribution of African-American people.”
The Dunbar Project of Tucson, according to the website, is “undertaking the task of renovating the school and converting it into an African-American Museum and Cultural Center.”
The Dunbar School was the first and only segregated school in Tucson. It was established in 1912 and completed in 1918 with a name derived from the African-American poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
Lander believes the artifacts in Kendrick’s museum would be a great asset to his future African-American Museum.
“We would hope that we would have exhibits and other deals that would be available on a year-round basis rather than just the month of February to depict the true history of the great Southwest,” said Lander.
