Ehrlich on Washington column, February 3, 2002

с ХЕ Н$ FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Rood, Suit* 304 LurttorvilU, Maryland 2 1 093 315 Cannon Houm Office Washington, D.C 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of February 3, 2002 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Honoring Our Native Sons and Daughters The month of February, which America honors as Black History Month, is a time to remember the achievements of those who helped advance the cause of freedom and civil rights here in Maryland and throughout America. For instance, the celebration of Black History Month and, indeed, the study of black history, is due to the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who first launched this important annual celebration in 1926 as Negro History Week. The son of former slaves, Dr. Woodson went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard, where he found that history books either ignored black Americans or depicted them as socially inferior. Thus, he took on the challenge of properly honoring black Americans in our nation’s history. He established the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History in 1915, and in 1916 founded the esteemed Journal of Negro History. Ten years later, he launched Negro History Week to bring well-deserved attention to the contributions of African- Americans throughout America’s history. Dr. Woodson chose February because it marks the birthdays of two esteemed contributors to freedom in America, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In addition, February 23, 1868, marks the birth of W.E.B. DuBois, the civil rights leader and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); on February 3, 1870, the 15lh Amendment was adopted, granting blacks the right to vote; on February 25, 1870, Hiram R. Revels, the first African-American U.S. Senator took his oath of office; and on February, 12, 1909, the NAACP was founded in New York by both black and white Americans. I see common strengths shared by each these individuals — courage, integrity, and faith. These extraordinary people believed in and achieved the impossible and their sacrifices should be honored. One way is to continue their pursuit of providing quality education to the nation’s children. Education is a privilege afforded to all Americans pursuant to the 14,h Amendment of