DIVERSITY MATTERS
APRIL 2017
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Black History Month. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Painting with a Twist of Soul. . . . . . . . . 2 A Taste of Soul . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 National Museum of African American History and Cultural. . . . . . 3 Commemorative Month Observances. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 UTHSC Black History News. . . . . . . . 4 Madison Plaza Conference Room C-1 ADA Renovations. . . . . . . . 4 Women’s History Month . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Religious Holidays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Community Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
OFFICE OF EQUITY AND DIVERSITY TEAM uthsc.edu/oed/staff
Michael Alston, EdD, CCDP/AP Assistant Vice Chancellor
Amber Carter
Publications Editor, Diversity Matters
Dustin Fulton, MS
Sr. Equity Assurance Administrator
Maggie Joyce, JD
Sr. OED Consultant
BLACK HISTORY MONTH Held in February, National African American History Month celebrated the contributions that African Americans have made to American history in their struggles for freedom and equality. The month also deepens our understanding of our Nation’s history. Its origins date back to 1915 when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort. At the time of Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life and substantial progress had been made in bringing more Americans to appreciate the celebration. At mid–century, mayors of cities nationwide issued proclamations noting Negro History Week. The Black Awakening of the 1960s dramatically expanded the consciousness of African Americans about the importance of black history, and the Civil Rights movement focused Americans of all color on the subject of the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture. In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford issued a Message on the Observance of Black History Week urging all Americans to “recognize the important contribution made to our nation’s life and culture by black citizens.” In 1976 this commemoration of black history in the United States was expanded by ASALH to Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, and President Ford issued the first Message on the Observance of Black History Month By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of Black history to the American story. Since then each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations. Presently, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) continues to promote the study of Black history all year.
The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/ Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA/V institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.
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