The End of the Month, but NOT the End of Black History…

Posted on by LSquardT

When Carter G. Woodson began Negro History Week in 1926, he chose the second week of February to encompass the birth dates of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Its purpose then was to teach some and remind others that the history of black people in America was not simply the story of subjugation.

Black history is American history, no doubt. But Black History Month is a measure of how fully or accurately our story is being told and a reminder of the work yet to be done.

So let’s not just start and stop with February.  I know that THIS is my goal…what will yours be?!

Today in Black History…

Date: Mon, 1892-02-29
 
This date celebrates the birth of Augusta Christine Savage in 1892. She was an American sculptor and educator who battled racism to secure a place for blacks in the art world.
 
In 1923 Savage became the focus of a racial scandal involving the French government and the American arts community. She was among some 100 young American women selected to attend a summer program at Fontainebleau, outside Paris, but her application was subsequently refused on the basis of her race. Sculptor Hermon A. MacNeil was the only member of the committee to denounce the decision, and he invited Savage to study with him in an attempt to make amends.
 
She apparently abandoned her art in the 1940s, isolating herself on a farm in Saugerties, N.Y. Many of Savage’s sculptures were never cast in permanent materials and have been lost. Among the few extant pieces is the poignant Gamin 1929, a portrait bust of a street-wise boy. Augusta Savage died March 26, 1962 in New York City.

Reference:
Black Women in America An Historical Encyclopedia
Volumes 1 and 2, edited by Darlene Clark Hine
Copyright 1993, Carlson Publishing Inc., Brooklyn, New York

~Love, Peace, SOOOOOOOOOUL!!!

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LSquardT

This is a place for me to reflect on things that are happening in my life.  I might just be one person in this big world of ours, but I'm one person that's on a mission... Life:: the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual. Life is a funny thing.  It is forever changing and as it changes so will I.

2 thoughts on “The End of the Month, but NOT the End of Black History…”

  1. Sorry, I could not resist reading another post from you, you are a compelling author and I now have an additional name to add to my encylopedia of all the African American greats. kindly, Penny, please come visit my blog.

    1. Penny!!

      All I can do is laugh and say thank you. After a day like this one, for this 1st grade teacher, it’s nice to know that I can be myself and it is appreciated.

      This blogging thing is a struggle at times, but the more I so it the easier it becomes. 🙂

      And of course I will follow you!!!

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