MLK Day and Black History Month

By Chelsea Lienhard, CCNYPA*VISTA Leader

As we all know, the month of February is dedicated towards the celebration of contributions and achievements had by African Americans throughout the history of the United States. As a jumpstart to Black History Month, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. day in January with a day of national service. Although this is a federal holiday observed by many corporations, organizations, and employers by having the day off, the Corporation for National and Community Service calls for citizens to make it “a day on, not a day off” by performing some type of volunteer service. Our duty as an AmeriCorps VISTA member was to do just that. From what was gathered, the CCNYPA cohort:

​Participated in neighborhood cleanups, chipped in at their local food pantries, assisted in daily tasks at animal rescues, volunteered through MLK Day events hosted at their universities/colleges, and engaged in many more ways
 
Engaged with over 1000 volunteers at their selected events
 
Served 75+ HOURS

I think Martin Luther King Jr. would be very proud and honored to see how this day commemorates him and his legacy! This holiday is the perfect segue way into Black History Month. The annual month-long observance began as a way of remembering important leaders and events in the history of African Americans. Did you know tt actually only used to be a week-long celebration? It was called “Negro History Week” and was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson. Did you know these little-known facts about Black History Month?

• February was chosen to coincide with Frederick Douglass’s and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays (two leaders/events that black communities celebrate)
• In the 1940s, efforts increased within black communities to expand the study of black history in the schools
• During the Civil Rights Movement in the South, some schools incorporated Black history into the curriculum with the hopes of advancing social change
• It became a national month-long celebration in 1976
• Both Canada and the U.K. celebrate Black History Month! (The U.K. celebrates it in October)

How did you honor and celebrate Black History Month?