Tribue to Black History Month!

Black History Month is not exactly a romantic celebration but I could not let February end without recognizing this great accomplishment to designate a month to celebrate the contributions of blacks to our history and our futures. Black History Month started off as Negro History week in 1926 when historian Carter Woodson declared that it was essential to ensure the survival of the race when he said:

"If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. The American Indian left no continuous record. He did not appreciate the value of tradition; and where is he today? The Hebrew keenly appreciated the value of tradition, as is attested by the Bible itself. In spite of worldwide persecution, therefore, he is a great factor in our civilization."^[5]

Originally Negro History Week was the second week of February to acknowledge Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass' (Feb. 14) birthdays. The initial reason for starting Negro History Week was to encourage teaching the history of American blacks in schools. Negro History Week gained support from the Department of Education in North Carolina, Delaware, and West Virginia as well city schools in Baltimore and Washington, DC. By 1929 Departments of Education of every state with "considerable Negro Population" had made the event known in their schools and also distributed literature. Even churches were endorsing Negro History Week by distributing literature along with mainstream and black press. Negro History Week grew in popularity over the decades with Mayors across the U.S. endorsing it as a holiday.

In February 1969 the leaders of the Black United States at Kent State University expanded Negro History Week to Black History Month. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent College the following year. In 1976, as part of the United States Bicentennial Black History was recognized by the U.S. government under Gerald Ford.

In tribute of Black History Month I looked for some African Americans who were romantics and found the following links:
Top African American Romance novels 
African American Romance Authors
Top 100 Most Wanted & Beautiful Black Female Celebrities
30 of the Sexiest Men that are Not White (no offense...)
40 Sexiest Men of All Time
Important and Famous African Americans
All Time Best Black Romance Movies
Barack Obama- First Black President






Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_History_Month