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Black History Month fun facts 2012

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week, which was expanded into Black History Month in 1976. Here are some interesting statistics about African Americans.

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Longtime pastor retiring after 50 years
Longtime pastor retiring after 50 years
Rev. Charles Smith is one of the lucky ones. He's been able to do what he loves for nearly 50 years at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church.

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Black History Month by the numbers
Black History Month by the numbers
As we observe Black History Month, the U.S. Census Bureau has put together some facts and figures about the African-American community.More >>
Presidential Proclamation -- Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Presidential Proclamation -- Martin Luther King, Jr.,
On the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday, we celebrate the man who fought for the America he knew was possible.More >>
Untold White House African American history revealed
Untold White House African American history revealed
The White House has played an integral role throughout history in advancing, hindering, or simply ignoring equal rights efforts.More >>
Barack Obama: America's first African American president
Barack Obama: America's first African American president
President Barack Obama is the 44th president and the first African American president of the United States of America.More >>

About Black History MonthAbout Black History MonthMore>>
The Story of Black History Month
The Story of Black History Month
Almost since its inception in 1925, Black History Month has served the broad purpose of educating all Americans about the roles African-Americans have played in the history of the U.S.More >>
Black History Month fun facts 2012
Black History Month fun facts 2012
To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week, which was expanded into Black History Month in 1976. Here are some interesting statistics about African Americans.
More >>
Black gospel musicians tackled civil rights issues on "B" sides of vintage records
Black gospel musicians tackled civil rights issues on "B" sides of vintage records
A surprisingly large number of "B" sides on old 45s of gospel songs deal with civil rights, despite the fact that the musicians' involvement might have been risky for them.More >>
Carter G. Woodson: The Father of Black History
Carter G. Woodson: The Father of Black History
In 1926, Carter G. Woodson, the son of slaves, established Negro History Week to promote the teaching of African-American history to blacks and whites alike.More >>
A Black History Reading List
A Black History Reading List
Although intended for students and teachers, this list also includes some suggestions for parents and other adults who want to learn more about the subject.More >>

Black Americans You Never Heard Of (But Should Know)Black History Month: BiographiesMore>>
Jane Bolin: Your Honor
Jane Bolin: Your Honor
African-Americans have contributed to American society in every walk of life, and one purpose of Black History Month is to call attention to some of those who may have escaped notice. Here are 10 brief biographies from the Profile America series produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.More >>
Bessie Coleman: Pilot Project
Bessie Coleman: Pilot Project
Bessie Coleman was born into poverty and picked cotton to help support her family. As WWI ended, her dream was to fly, but every flying school turned her down because of her gender and race.More >>
Zora Neale Hurston: The Write Stuff
Zora Neale Hurston: The Write Stuff
Zora Neale Hurston was one of the great talents of the Harlem Renaissance - but had to work as a manicurist to support herself.More >>
Joseph Lee: Satisfying a 'Knead'
Joseph Lee: Satisfying a 'Knead'
A century ago, bread bought at stores was hand-made, a time intensive process. That changed when a baker from Boston, Joseph Lee, invented the automatic bread-making machine.More >>
Garrett Morgan: Signal Achievements
Garrett Morgan: Signal Achievements
Thousands of Americans owe their lives to the inventions of Garrett Morgan. The son of former slaves, Morgan invented the gas mask.More >>
William Grant Still: The Sounds of Music
William Grant Still: The Sounds of Music
When William Grant Still mounted the podium and began conducting the L.A. Philharmonic in 1936, it marked the first time that an African-American had led a major symphonic orchestra.More >>
Sarah Breedlove Walker: One in a Million
Sarah Breedlove Walker: One in a Million
Sarah Breedlove Walker was born the daughter of former slaves and orphaned at the age of seven. She went on to become America's first African-American woman millionaire business-owner.More >>
Ida B. Wells: The Original Rosa Parks
Ida B. Wells: The Original Rosa Parks
Seventy years before Rosa Parks sparked the civil rights movement by refusing to move to the back of a bus, there was Ida B. Wells.More >>
Daniel Hale Williams: A Lifesaver at Heart
Daniel Hale Williams: A Lifesaver at Heart
On a hot summer night in Chicago, in 1893, a deliveryman was rushed to the emergency room of Provident Hospital. He had been stabbed in the heart in a barroom brawl.More >>
Paul Williams: Architect to the Stars
Paul Williams: Architect to the Stars
Paul Williams was orphaned at the age of 4 and no one paid much attention to the child's artistic talent. But he earned his engineering degree and went on to become one of the nation's premier architects.More >>

Up Close and Personal: Visiting Black HistoryBlack History Month: ShrinesMore>>
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (Georgia)
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (Georgia)
The National Park Service maintains a number of historic sites associated with black history. Ten of those sites are featured here, each with a link to visitors information from the park service.More >>
Boston African American National Historic Site (Massachusetts)
Boston African American National Historic Site
The Black Heritage Trail on Boston's Beacon Hill pieces together the story of the free African American community that lived here during the decades leading up to and during the Civil War.More >>
Brown vs. Board of Education Nat'l Historic Site (Kansas)
Brown vs. Board of Education Nat'l Historic Site, Topeka, Kansas
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site commemorates the Supreme Court's landmark decision to end segregation in the country's public schools.More >>
Fort Davis National Historic Site (Texas)
Fort Davis National Historic Site (Texas)
Fort Davis is important in understanding the presence of African Americans in the West and in the frontier military because the 24th and 25th U.S.More >>
Frederick Douglass Home (Washington, D.C.)
Frederick Douglass Home, Washington, D.C.
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1818, and was given the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey (Baly), after his mother Harriet Bailey.More >>
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park (Virginia)
Harpers Ferry National Historic Site (Virginia)
On October 16, 17, and 18, 1859, John Brown and his "Provisional Army of the United States" took possession of the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry.More >>
New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park (Louisiana)
New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park (Louisiana)
Jazz, much of it created and played by black musicians, is an important part of African-American cultural history as well as the social history of New Orleans.More >>
Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (California)
Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (California)
The national memorial at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine recalls the largest homeland disaster of World War II and helps tell the story of the segregated military that fought that war.More >>
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail (Alabama)
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
The Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail was established by Congress in 1996, to commemorate the events, people, and route of the 1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama.More >>
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Alabama)
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Alabama)
In spite of adversity and limited opportunities, African Americans have played a significant role in U.S. military history over the past 300 years.More >>

WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, SportsBlack History

Black HistoryMore>>

About Black History MonthAbout Black History MonthMore>>

Black Americans You Never Heard Of (But Should Know)Black History Month: BiographiesMore>>

Up Close and Personal: Visiting Black HistoryBlack History Month: ShrinesMore>>

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