He was a journalist, a historian and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. He’s been called ‘the father of Black history’ and is the second African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University. New Canton native Dr. Carter G. Woodson may not be the most recognized name, but there’s no denying his achievements or the role he played in establishing what would later become Black History Month.
According to Woodson’s own writings, preserved in the Library of Congress, the man believed it was critical to study and preserve Black history to avoid “the awful fate of becoming a negligible factor in the thought of the world.”
And in 1926, he organized the first Negro History Week, now celebrated each February as Black History Month, to encourage the study of African American history.
He wanted people to understand Black history in America, to make sure there was documented proof of both achievements and culture.
The early years
Carter was born on Dec. 19, 1875 in New Canton, to James Henry and Eliza Riddle Woodson, both former slaves. James Woodson, a carpenter and farmer, was also known for helping Union soldiers during the Civil War. His son Carter occasionally attended primary school in Buckingham County, when not needed on the farm.