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Negro History Week A National Celebration Annually Observed Everywhere in the United States the Second Week in February Beginning the 9th Directed by the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
Washington, D.C.: The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, [1930]. 8vo (9” x 6”), self wrappers. 16 pp. CONDITION: Good, renewed spine, repairs to holes at fore-edge of front wrapper, damp-stain throughout, mainly concentrated along the inner edges of the leaves. An unrecorded issue of this annual promoting the celebration of Negro History Week, the brainchild of Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and the forerunner of Black History Month. Established in 1926, Negro History Week was conceived as an effort, as stated here, “to popularize the study of Negro Life and History and to secure more support for its promotion.” To that end, the contents consist of a bibliography of “Materials for a Program for the Celebration of Negro History Week,” a section titled “Teaching as the Source of Most Prejudice,” and a series of accounts of the accomplishments of African Americans in a host of fields, including “The Negro in the Discovery and Exploration of America,” “The Contribution of Labor,” “Inventive Genius,” “In Defence of the Country,” “Spiritual Contribution,” “The Negro in Painting and Sculpture,” “The Art of Poetry,” “On the Stage,” “Negro Music,” “In Defence of the Oppressed,” “The Newspaper as a Force,” and “Efforts in Business.” The text concludes with sections on various aspects of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History titled “Branches of the Association,” “Junior Societies,” “Literary and Religious Societies,” “Home Study Department,” and “History of the Association.” The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), later known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), was founded in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson and several colleagues. Its stated mission was “to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.” Woodson, known as the “father of Negro History,” launched the Journal of Negro History and later the Negro History Bulletin, wrote numerous books on Black history, and initiated Negro History Week. Rooted in Woodson’s experiences as the son of former slaves, a coal miner, and later the second Black Ph.D. in history from Harvard, the Association was designed to document African American folk life and contributions with scholarly rigor while fostering interracial understanding. To expand the reach of African American scholarship, Woodson established Associated Publishers in 1921, the first major non-religious Black-owned publishing house. Through it, ASNLH issued books, pictorials, and bibliographies often ignored by mainstream presses. The Journal targeted scholars, while the Bulletin was geared toward teachers and youth. Woodson sought both to elevate the scholarly study of Black history and to make it accessible to the masses, insisting that facts “properly set forth will tell their own story.” Despite support from philanthropic foundations such as Carnegie and Rockefeller, financial struggles plagued the Association, and Woodson often worked long hours from its modest Washington headquarters to keep it alive. Although Woodson was protective and sometimes difficult, his work ensured ASNLH’s survival beyond his death in 1950. During the Depression, he relied heavily on small donations from African American communities, proud that the Association was sustained “on the nickels and dimes of Negroes.” Following his passing, ASNLH continued to grow through its branches nationwide, ensuring that Black History Week observances flourished in schools, churches, and civic groups. The activism of the 1960s further revitalized the organization, with debates over civil rights versus Black power shaping its agenda. In 1972 the Association changed its name to ASALH, reflecting broader cultural shifts, while retaining the Journal of Negro History. In 1976, the Association successfully expanded Negro History Week into Black History Month, a grassroots-driven change that highlighted the durability of Woodson’s vision. His book The Mis-Education of the Negro, republished in 1969, became a key text for the movement. OCLC records holdings for the 1926 and 1927 issues only. REFERENCES: Simba, Malik. “The Association for the Study of African American Life and History: A Brief History” at BlackPast online.
Item #9644
Price: $2,750.00
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