Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum

Mission:

The mission of the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum is two-fold:

1) To preserve, present, and interpret African American history and to engage a broad and diverse audience through these activities.

2) To promote an understanding among various groups that make up the St. Petersburg community in order to enhance our ability as a society to respect and value diversity and foster equal rights and social justice.

About Us:

DR. CARTER G. WOODSON

The Father of Black History Month, Carter G. Woodson, was born in1875 near New Canton VA. He was the son of former slaves. In 1907, he obtained his B.A. degree from the University of Chicago. In 1912, he received his Ph.D. from Harvard University.

In 1915, he and friends established the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. A year later, the Journal of Negro History, began quarterly publication. In 1926, Woodson proposed and launched the annual February observance of Negro History Week, which became Black History Month in 1976. It is said that he chose February for the observance because February 12th was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and February 14th was the accepted birthday of Frederick Douglass.

Dr. Woodson was the founder of Associated Publishers, the founder and editor of the Negro History Bulletin, and the author of more than 30 books. His best known publication is The Mis-Education of the Negro, originally published in 1933 and still pertinent today.

He died in 1950, but Dr. Woodson’s scholarly legacy goes on.