The idea of setting aside a time each year for a nationwide exploration and celebration of the contributions of African-Americans began in 1926 with Dr. Carter G. Woodson, whose photograph is at left.  An historian, Dr. Woodson was the second African-Amercian to earn a doctorate from Harvard University.  (The first was W.E.B. Dubois, who taught at Wilberforce University in Ohio from 1894-1896.)   Founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, Woodson's idea of a national celebration of African-Americans took shape in 1926 with the adoption of Negro History Week. In honor of the birthdates of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, he chose the second week of February.

Fifty years later, the organization that had become the Association for the Study of African American Life and History promoted the idea of a month-long celebration, and February has since become Black History Month. (In the United Kingdom, Black History Month is celebrated in October.)

Black History Month reminds us of the need to examine our services for African-Americans, because clients who participate in MHS homeless assistance services are disproportionately African-American, in comparison with the population of Cuyahoga County at large. In a report on the influence of culture, race, and ethnicity on mental health care, the U.S. Surgeon General found that African-Americans (as well as those from other minority groups) have less access to mental health services, are less likely to receive mental health services, and are underrepresented in mental health research, compared with whites. Moreover, studies have shown that the capacity to provide culturally-competent services is an important predictor of treatment effectiveness (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001).

We honor Black History Month to celebrate the success of our many African-American clients in their recovery from mental illness and substance-use disorders, and to celebrate their achievement of housing and independence.

We also honor the African-American members of our staff and trustees who have made major contributions to the growth of MHS, and the success of its programs.

Black History Month has a special significance at a time in which an African-American serves as President of the United States of America for the first time. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History notes that "Carter G. Woodson was fond of quoting a nineteenth-century novelist who wrote that the romance of America was the fate of the Negro. Neither the founding fathers nor the African slaves could have ever imagined a day when a black man would hold the most exalted office in the nation. ... As the grand ole civil rights organization marks its centennial, the progress of black citizenship cannot be better symbolized than by the election of Barack Obama. O, what a century!" (The posters at left are available from the Association.)

Reference

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2001). Mental health: Culture, race, and ethnicity. A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: Author.

Also, see these resources:

U.S. Census Bureau's Facts for Features: Black (African-American) History Month: February 2010, and

The website of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, featuring its 2010 Black History Theme: The History of Black Economic Empowerment.

The website of PolicyBridge, "a 501c (3) non-partisan public policy think tank based in Northeast Ohio with a legislative office in Washington DC. Our key objective is to monitor urban policy issues and inform regional public policy debates by framing issues of relevance to the minority community. " Their mission is "to create and sustain high quality discourse addressing public policy issues, which enlighten and energize fellow citizens, prompting them to take action."