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= = = = ==//"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that, in diversity, there is beauty, and there is strength. We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value, no matter their color." ~// Maya Angelou==

=__**Black History Month - February 2018 & Beyond **__= == Welcome to the Washington High School Social Studies Department's tribute to the efforts of individuals who are of African descent, which is celebrated in our community each and every day. Please check back as we will be adding to this educational site throughout the month and all year long. Activities in our individual classes are listed under each teacher's tab located at the right-hand side of this page. We welcome comments and a response to our discussion prompt, " Please tell us why it is important to celebrate the contributions of all people to society all year long," in the discussion board accessed through the tab located at the top section of this page (next to the edit button). ==

The Social Studies Department at Washington High School, Washington, PA
="The time is always right to do what is right."=

~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
=Teen Outreach sponsors Black History Month essay contest =   Washington County students in grades 7 to 12 can submit entries no later than midnight Feb. 23 to podmj@healthyteens.com. This year’s theme coordinates with the LeMoyne Center’s theme, “Threading Through History.” The essay should explore the theme or importance of three things: respect for black history all year, why there should not be a separate Black History Month and what it means to be an ally.
 * Feb 6, 2018 Updated Feb 13, 2018
 * Washington Health System Teen Outreach is sponsoring its eighth Black History Month essay contest. **

Students may write about any or all of those concepts or create another topic dealing with respect for black history. The key content should be student-driven. The essay must be original and from 500 to 750 words. Entries must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document, labeled with the author’s name, parent/guardian name, grade, school, home address, email and author’s phone number.

Winners will be notified at the Common Ground Teen Center, 53 N. College St., Washington, from 5 to 6 p.m. Feb. 26. All essayists should plan to attend. First place wins a $100 gift card, second place a $50 gift card and honorable mention a $25 gift card. Winning essays will be printed in the //Observer-Reporter//. Winners are expected to attend and read their essays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Community Black History Day event at LeMoyne Community Center, 200 N. Forrest Ave., Washington. //For more information, call Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski at 412-877-4906.// 


 * LeMoyne Center - Washington, PA - Black History Month-click here **
 * Wednesday, 21 February 2018 - Annual Black History Month Celebration **
 * Doors open at 4:30 **





=The History of Black History=

by Elissa Haney
==="We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice." -Carter Woodson=== February has been officially designated as Black History Month by each United States President since 1976. Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as "Black History Month." What you might not know is that black history had barely begun to be studied-or even documented-when the tradition originated. Although blacks have been in America at least as far back as colonial times, it was not until the 20th century that they gained a respectable presence in the history books.
 * [[image:http://i.infopls.com/images/cgwoodson1.gif width="120" height="189"]]Dr. Carter G. Woodson ||

The purpose of the celebration was to educate people about the rich cultural history of African Americans. Woodson famously stated, "We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."

Several quotes endure from leaders of the civil rights movement, authors who invited the understanding of a nation through the truth of their experiences, and African Americans from all walks of life who have earned their place in this country's legacy and history. Education is an essential goal of Black History Month.

Maya Angelou said, "It is time for parents to teach young people early on that, in diversity, there is beauty, and there is strength. We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the treads of the tapestry are equal in value, no matter their color." The Huffington Post also quoted Maya Angelou's optimistic proclamation, "Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise."

In addition to his many inspiring speeches and enduring words of wisdom, Martin Luther King, Jr. leaves a legacy of rights won through work, patience, and peace. He called out for peaceful protests and summed it up eloquently, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Blacks Absent from History Books
We owe the celebration of Black History Month, and more importantly, the study of black history, to Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Born to parents who were former slaves, he spent his childhood working in the Kentucky coal mines and enrolled in high school at age twenty. He graduated within two years and later went on to earn a PhD. from Harvard. The scholar was disturbed to find in his studies that history books largely ignored the black American population-and when blacks did figure into the picture, it was generally in ways that reflected the inferior social position they were assigned at the time.

Established Journal of Negro History
Woodson, always one to act on his ambitions, decided to take on the challenge of writing black Americans into the nation's history. He established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now called the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History) in 1915, and a year later founded the widely respected Journal of Negro History. In 1926, he launched Negro History Week as an initiative to bring national attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history. Woodson chose the second week of February for Negro History Week because it marks the birthdays of two men who greatly influenced the black American population, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. However, February has much more than Douglass and Lincoln to show for its significance in black American history. For example: > W. E. B. DuBois, important civil rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, was born. > The 15th Amendment was passed, granting blacks the right to vote. > The first black U.S. senator, Hiram R. Revels (1822-1901), took his oath of office. > The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - NAACP was founded by a group of concerned black and white citizens in New York City. > In what would become the Civil-Rights Movement milestone, a group of black Greensboro, N.C., college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter. > Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism, was shot to death by three Black Muslims.
 * **February 23, 1868:**
 * **February 3, 1870:**
 * **February 25, 1870:**
 * **February 12, 1909:**
 * **February 1, 1960:**
 * **February 21, 1965:**
 * More from the Black History Timeline

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** NOTE: A few graphic historical images depicting viole **** nce toward humans are displayed in this video **
=** President Trump 2017 Black History Month Proclamation-click here **=



Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf Black History Month Proclamation - click here
=**Library of Congress - click here**=

   = BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2018 – PITTSBURGH =
 * BLACK HISTORY EVENTS IN PITTSBURGH 2018-CLICK HERE **

Washington High School - Washington, Pennsylvania Washington School District provides a caring and supportive community in which members challenge and motivate each other to become proficient, honorable citizens and productive life-long learners. If you have any questions regarding this website please contact: bunner@prexie.us