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Houston (KIAH) – Known as the “Father of Black History”, Carter G. Woodson is regarded for educating African-Americans about the history and achievement of their ancestors. His work sparked the creation of “Negro History Week” back in 1926.

It was celebrated during the second week of February to commemorate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

Born in 1875 to illiterate parents who were former slaves, Woodson worked as a sharecropper and in the coal mines of West Virginia to help support his family. Woodson entered high school at the age of 20, earning his diploma in just two years. He then graduated from Berea College in Kentucky before earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Chicago. In 1912, Woodson became only the second African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard.

Thanks to his efforts, “Negro History Week” expanded, becoming Black History Month in 1976.