Woodson, Carter Godwin (1875-1950), was an African American historian who became known as the Father of Black History. Woodson devoted his life to bringing the achievements of black people to the world’s attention. His founding of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, or ASALH) in 1915 has been called the start of the black history movement. The association began publishing a scholarly magazine, The Journal of Negro History (now The Journal of African American History), in 1916. The best known of Woodson’s 16 books is Negro in Our History (1922). Many scholars consider it one of the finest full-length works on black history. In 1926, Woodson helped establish the annual observance of Negro History Week, which expanded to become Black History Month in the 1970’s.
Woodson was born on Dec. 19, 1875, in New Canton, Virginia. His parents were former slaves. Woodson received a Ph.D. degree in history from Harvard University. He won the Spingarn Medal in 1926. He died on April 3, 1950.
