“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” —Dr. Carter G. Woodson
In honor of Black History Month, this year three local branches of national organizations have come together to offer a program at the Oak Bluffs library on Saturday, Feb. 11. The
Black History Month Education Presentation will feature music, a free brunch, readings, and a special presentation by students of Martha’s Vineyard High School. The subject selected for this year’s event is Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is often referred to as “the father of black history.”
The program is sponsored jointly by the Martha’s Vineyard League of Women Voters, the Martha’s Vineyard NAACP, and the local branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This is the first year that the three organizations have joined forces for a Black History Month program.
Dr. Lorna Andrade, vice president of the MV ASALH group, and a member of both the NAACP and LWV, is coordinating the event. “It will be an intergenerational celebration,” Dr. Andrade said. “We have students from the high school presenting information about Dr. Woodson and adults reading from his works.”
Carter G. Woodson was an African-American writer and historian whose focus was on encouraging and furthering the study of black history. He is responsible for launching a celebration that eventually became Black History Month. In 1915, Dr. Woodson founded ASALH, whose mission is “to promote, research, preserve, interpret, and disseminate information about black life, history, and culture to the global community.”
“This is the year for the ASALH group to honor Dr. Carter G. Woodson,” Dr. Andrade said. “Our key focus is: If we don’t tell people about the history, the world will never know.”
The program will feature music by Carol Loud, who will present some Negro spirituals, and 8-year-old Nikeya Tankard, who will play violin with Ms. Loud on piano.
The high school students will present readings and information on Dr. Woodson, drawing on some of their research and studies under MVRHS teacher Elaine Weintraub, the chair of the history department. Ms. Weintraub explained that black history is integrated into the year-round studies, not just something that is focused on separately. “It’s pretty much woven in throughout the whole year,” she said. “Our curriculum has become a good deal more inclusive.”
The upcoming program will give people in the community a unique opportunity to learn more about a black leader whose influence continues today.